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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25258327">Once a Hero, once a Prince</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/ghostybreads/pseuds/ghostybreads'>ghostybreads</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Original Work</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>:|, Honda as Zelda, Honshin, M/M, Post-Calamity Ganon, Shinobu as Link, breath of the wild AU</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-11-05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 06:26:49</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>21,441</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25258327</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/ghostybreads/pseuds/ghostybreads</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>As the Dark Beast Ganon breathes his last, and his dying roar echoes through the three remaining Kingdoms, both Shinobu and Honda know nothing will ever be the same again. The burden of a dangerous fate is lifted, but Shinobu's left facing the weight of the words he wished he could remember, and the words he wished he could say.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Shinobu Kouji/Honda Ikue, eventually probably - Relationship</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. New beginnings</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Am I making another AU despite not finishing the other one? Absolutely. I have plans for the next chapter but nothing after that so who knows where it'll go. Also, I've walked along the places they have to make it annoyingly accurate to the actual game and map. Shinobu's verbal hes just shit at it.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The once blue sky wilted and bled into a patchwork of red, particles of malice rampantly flying through the air and clouding his vision. Shinobu sharply inhaled, his throat tightening as he pulled on the reins to steer Nuggets away from the hoof of Dark Beast Ganon, which came crashing down into the ground and shaking the earth. If he hesitated here, it would mean death. Death for him, his horse, Honda, and probably the whole of Hyrule soon after.</p><p>The beast rivaled the size of Hyrule Castle itself, made of pure hatred that took the form of a fluid black and purple mirage. Shinobu clutched his other hand tighter around the golden bow and listened to Nugget’s hooves knock against the grass of the open field. Blood trickled down his right arm from a large gash on his shoulder, and he was starting to feel his right leg go limp at his side. There was a quiet ringing in his ear, but he could still hear Honda’s voice loud and clear, like a moment of clarity and an emotion that felt just out of reach to him.</p><p>‘Now, Kouji-kun!’</p><p>Ganon roared, rearing its head into the air as three more glowing, golden marks appeared on its side. There were patterns and incantations that circled the marks pulsing with light, giving him an opening, a chance. It was the third time the gaps had been opened, but the second time hadn’t gone to plan, with the beast sending waves of malice through the ground that exploded and bubbled beneath the surface. He’d just barely missed it, with Nuggets quick reaction speed, but it had sent him flying off the horse and he was too late by the time he was back, the targets had closed. Now, he let go of Nuggets reins, placing his life and trust with his horse as he’d done so many times before. Nuggets had been with him from the start, and didn’t hesitate to gallop straight toward the enemy looming in front of them, similarly trusting Shinobu. They wouldn’t get another chance. It had to be now. </p><p>Shinobu swiftly held the bow in front of him, narrowing his eyes and hitting the three targets perfectly, each closing in and disappearing in a flash of light— though, even under the circumstances, he couldn’t help noting that one arrow had just barely hit. He grabbed back onto the leather saddle, the wind lashing at his face as Nuggets ran a straight line underneath the beast's belly. He violently yanked at the reins to avoid another hoof as Ganon began to move forward. Shinobu spurred his horse onward, making a risky choice and running in the open space in front of the beast. It’s purple eyes glowing with hate and destruction against the red sky locked onto him quickly. He had to distract it, there was no telling what could happen if it reached a settlement— Shinobu prepared his bow, standing his ground and glaring up at the beast who looked back down at him like he was a particularly annoying ant.</p><p>‘It’s working, it’s weakening!’</p><p>A seam began to open on its back, making an ungodly cracking and oozing sound. The break split down to the top of its head, down past its tusks, and revealed a large, disembodied eye. Well, if there was one thing he knew for sure—</p><p>‘That eye is its core.’ Honda’s voice was back inside his head, fading in like a forgotten melody. ‘You know what to do!’</p><p>Nuggets reared and trotted backwards, agitated and on edge as the ground continued to rumble and shake. Shinobu quietly thanked him under his breath, before slipping his shoes out of the stirrups and hopping up on top of the saddle. He crouched, then jumping up and opening his paraglider, instantly carried upwards by the drafts created by the immense pressure of Ganon’s beastly form. </p><p>In the air, time seemed to slow. Closing the paraglider, he positioned the bow and nocked an arrow while free falling through the air. The arrow brushed against his cheek as he pulled it back, and he felt it grow warm as light surrounded it. This was his final chance.</p><p>He let the arrow loose.</p><p>Bullseye. He could barely recall what happened next. Shinobu was falling. The bow had disappeared in his hands. The adrenaline escaped from his body and he couldn’t find the strength in his arms to open the paraglider. He was caught, admittedly badly, as the person instantly crouched over and dropped him to the floor. </p><p>That person was glowing with light.</p><p>Shinobu looked up and against the background of an apocalyptic sky, Honda smiled at him in relief. His blonde hair was blown about by the wind, and there was something about his eyes that no vague memory could replicate. In an instant, he was gone. </p><p>There was more light, a final enraged roar, and Shinobu’s head rolled back as everything faded to black.</p><p>***</p><p>Shinobu felt light shaking below him, and all of a sudden he could smell the rot and decay in the air, he could feel the malice colouring the sky and hear the roar of- He shot up instantly, reaching for his sword on his back in a blind panic and letting out a quiet noise of surprise as Nuggets startled below him and he fell right off the side. </p><p>He blinked, looking around, not quite bothering to stand just yet. The sky was blue and slightly cloudy, with a cool breeze rustling the leaves on the trees around them. He tilted his head to the side, seeing where Honda had crouched beside him, after rushing over to his side. </p><p>“Ganon.” He stated, urgently, a quiet question in the name. His throat felt hoarse, and he winced after speaking so quickly. Honda seemed to blink in surprise at his voice, before sighing, and putting on a polite smile. </p><p>“Defeated. Congratulations, Kouji-kun.” </p><p>Oh. </p><p>So that was it. </p><p>What kind of face should he be making now? It almost didn’t register. The reason he survived no matter what it took, the reason he spent every second he could remember training and fighting without end, the constant burden that never left his shoulders… Ganon was defeated. By the hero who just fell off his horse. It was kind of a miracle he got as far as he did. </p><p>Then, there was the other significantly life-changing piece of information. Honda was in front of him, as a person, not a disembodied voice or the ghost of a century-old memory. The prince wore the blue and gold blouse that Shinobu recognised from the memories, along with a travelling hood around his shoulders. His hair was shorter than it was before, tied up into a loose, small ponytail like Shinobu’s own. </p><p>“Would you like some assistance?” Honda asked, almost seemingly unsure, as he held out a hand. Ah. Right. Shinobu couldn’t just lie on the grass all day. Or, well, technically he could, now that the threat of Ganon was gone. </p><p>He reached up to take the hand, noticing his own was covered in bandages. After being lightly pulled to his feet, he pulled the collar of his champion's shirt down to see the gash on his shoulder had also been bandaged, significantly better than he could have done himself. </p><p>“Apologies, if I’ve overstepped my boundaries. You were in somewhat of a critical state, and I did what I believed I had a duty to. You are free to change them yourself, once we’ve reached a resting point.” </p><p>Shinobu shook his head, before nodding, hoping Honda understood what he meant. Nuggets interrupted the moment and stuck his head between them, neighing loudly and pushing his head into Shinobu’s shoulder. Thank God he was alright. Nuggets had died once before, and while Shinobu had naturally figured out a way to revive him, he’d never quite forgiven himself for his carelessness. Though anyone else who heard that would probably just think he was crazy. </p><p>It seemed they were still in Hyrule field, but they’d walked quite awhile, as the castle was barely in sight. It looked strange, without the red and purple mist surrounding it. It was all he’d ever known. He shook himself out of his thoughts, taking Nuggets reins under the chin and gently pulling him along. Honda watched him for a moment, in thought, before walking at his side. </p><p>He felt weird about that, but he couldn’t name why. Maybe because the fuzzy memories he’d dream of always featured Honda’s back, never quite close enough to touch. Shinobu was technically a knight, did princes walk side by side with their knights? </p><p>“You awoke at an appropriate moment. We are nearing Riverside stable, or at least, I believe so.” Honda explained as they walked up a grassy hill. </p><p>Shinobu tilted his head in a silent question. Honda was looking away, so he had to verbally elaborate. “You’ve… never been?” </p><p>The prince jolted in surprise, again, but quickly recovered. “Excuse me.” He cleared his throat, regaining his posture. “No. Of course, there were stables before the time of the Calamity, but much like the settlements in this area, they were destroyed. I must say it is quite… bold, to build one so close to the field. I imagine many of the ruined guardians I came across were not ruined before now.”</p><p>He nodded in understanding. Shinobu practically patrolled the areas around the stables whenever he had time, as there always seemed to be someone screaming for help, or caught up with the wrong monsters. It was his job, he could never bring himself to truly be annoyed at people who were scared and upset, but he did wish they would be more responsible.</p><p>They fell back into silence. There were a thousand unsaid questions that neither knew how to ask. The world, as Shinobu knew it, would never be the same- but then again, he supposed Honda already knew what that felt like. At the top of the hill there was a small circle of trees, and a small korok floating from a leaf that giggled as he walked up. He tried to nod his head in greeting, but in a way that wouldn’t make him look crazy to someone who couldn’t see it-</p><p>Honda walked by, and stopped in front of it. “Greetings. It has been awhile since I’ve seen one of you.” </p><p>“Keke! Prince Ikue is back!” </p><p>“Has the Great Deku Tree been well?”</p><p>“Yes!”</p><p>“In that case, I will be sure to visit when I’m able.” </p><p>Shinobu stared, dumbfounded. They had a conversation. Honda looked back at him, a slightly curious, confused frown forming on his face. </p><p>“Hm? I thought you were able to see them as well. Perhaps I was wrong.” </p><p>Shinobu shook his head, meaning to say that no, he could indeed see them. He was just shocked Honda could too. It made sense, though. Both the prince and himself were bonded by a fate and duty assigned to them before they were even born. It was that same connection that allowed him to see them in the first place. (Or so he thought, anyway. He never really asked.)</p><p>“Ah. Yes, I can see them. I will try to clarify these things earlier for the future.” Honda reached down to his side, taking the sheikah slate off where it was attached and checking the map, before looking down the hill again. “... Is that the stable?” </p><p>Shinobu nodded. </p><p>“The design is… an interesting set of choices. I understand they must not have had many resources to work with, but…” Honda seemed to bite back the rest of his opinion, walking down the hill and looking at the mismatched horse head sticking out from the stable. He wondered if Honda had ever met the horse God, that the stable designs seemed to be based off. </p><p>“Cute.” Shinobu quietly mumbled, shrugging his shoulders. Honda paused, looking at him with furrowed brows before the rest of the sentence that he’d omitted came to him. </p><p>“You thought it was a cute design?” Honda clarified, to which Shinobu nodded. The prince raised his hand to his mouth, lightly covering it with a closed fist as he chuckled in amusement. “I see. I can understand that. You always did have a love for animals, even back then.” </p><p>There was a moment where Honda looked… nostalgic, yet conflicted. Almost sad. It passed almost instantly, but the questions it left in Shinobu’s mind did not. They walked around the back of the glowing blue shrine, Shinobu still leading Nuggets, who was gradually losing energy. Honda slowed down by the shrine and visually inspected it. It seemed to pain him to tear himself away from it. </p><p>Shinobu tapped him on the shoulder, and pointed at the shrine. </p><p>“I am not confident I understand what you’re asking of me, but I’m particularly interested in ancient technology. I would love to study the shrines, as we weren’t able to access them in the past. But it is not my current priority. I am… a King, now.”</p><p>That was right, huh. Shinobu hadn’t thought about that.</p><p>“It is interesting how things turn out. I have spent a century preparing for what I would do, and what I would say, but now that I am free…” Honda sped up the pace, he took a breath and turned to Shinobu with a polite, crafted smile. “Please, ignore me. I was temporarily lost in my thoughts. Shall we get something to eat?” </p><p>Shinobu wanted to say something, but his tongue felt heavy and the words that ran around in his mind got stuck in his throat. As Honda turned away from him he seemed, again, like a faded ghost, a forgotten melody with the words jumbled up- I wish I could remember you.</p><p>“Heyy! You, with the black hair!” A voice cheerfully called out from a shady spot underneath a tree, distanced from the stable itself. Shinobu eyed them for a moment, before sighing. He walked towards them, but made a motion towards Honda to stay back, leaving his horse too. Honda frowned, but waited. Nuggets munched on some grass, not really minding. </p><p>“Want your fortune read?” Shinobu shook his head. No, not particularly. “Awesome! Well, lets see, in your future… I see red… A crimson, deep and rich. It’s the most beautiful colour I’ve ever seen.” </p><p>While the man prattled off, Shinobu took out a Gerudo scimitar from his belt, idly testing it and checking the sharpness of the blade. </p><p>“Oh! It’s the colour of your blood.” There it is. “For master Kohga!” </p><p>“Kouji-kun-!” Honda warned him with a yell, out of the corner of his eye he could see him move to run in and help, but hesitate, and wait.</p><p>In a pathetically small cloud of red smoke, the Yiga removed his disguise and floated above the ground. Shinobu was moving forward before he’d finished talking, cutting him off by elbowing him in the stomach, and quickly following up with a roundhouse kick before he could recover. He teleported out of Shinobu’s reach as he swiped up with the scimitar, appearing behind Shinobu and attempting to stab his neck with a demon carver. He felt… oddly annoyed that they weren’t even using the weapon properly. It was clearly a slicing weapon.</p><p>Shinobu ducked in time and spun around to stab his shoulder. The man coughed, stumbling backwards and disappearing in the same smoke he appeared in, leaving behind some bananas that fell off his costume and his weapon. </p><p>Honda was quickly next to him, scanning him for injuries. Shinobu waved a hand, meaning to say that he was fine. He only seemed a little more concerned after that, walking over and picking up the demon carver, twirling it in his hands. </p><p>“Does this kind of attack happen often? Who do they belong to?”</p><p>Shinobu nodded. They were frankly more of a bother than they were a threat. “Yiga.” Ah. Right. The Yiga were formed after the Calamity, in support of Ganon. Honda wouldn’t have known. Clearly they weren’t quite up to date about the recent events in Hyrule. “Ganon fans.” He made a quick slicing motion across his neck, indicating that their purpose was mainly to try and kill him, or inconvenience him where possible. “Uhm… Kakariko would… explain better.”</p><p>There was an initial amusement at Shinobu’s basic explanation, followed by a dawning horror. “They were… once Sheikah, were they not? They swore allegiance to us!” Honda clenched his fist at his side. It was a fairly standard response. Shinobu travelled through the ruins and remnants of life that were destroyed by the Calamity, to find that people supported the one who caused it all. It must be worse for Honda, who fought against Ganon alone to protect everyone, people like them included. “Kakariko, you mentioned. Do Sheikah still live there? Or have they all betrayed us?”</p><p>“They do. Uh, live. There.” Shinobu stuttered out an awkward, broken sentence, but Honda at least seemed relieved by that fact. He put a hand to the back of his neck uncomfortably, walking back to Nuggets and running his hands through his black mane to calm himself. It was difficult to talk in general, let alone with the circumstances. It bothered him that he didn’t know where they stood. How close were they before? Where were they going now? What happens next? Was Shinobu supposed to wear a knights uniform?</p><p>“In that case, we will rest here for the night, and leave for Kakariko in the morning.”</p><p>Honda, once again, was thrown into chaos, and still managed to keep his composure, leading the way toward the stable along the river. Shinobu admired him. Or maybe Shinobu hadn’t been someone close enough, for him to share what he was feeling. There was still an awkward air between them. Beedle sat in front of the stable, his beetle-shaped backpack towering over him and his makeshift table hung over his shoulders. </p><p>He grinned, waving with his entire arm as Shinobu and Honda approached. </p><p>“Wow, Shinobu-san, we meet again! It seems that sharing space is our destiny.” Beedle laughed with a friendly nature, looking over to Honda and whistling in surprise. “And you got a friend with you this time! Good on ya. They grow up so fast, huh? I still remember meeting you for the first time, you were totally covered in dirt and scratches with a massive branch on your back like a sword! I totally thought I was gonna be robbed.”</p><p>Shinobu patted his hand down in the air, motioning for him to tone it down. His expression barely changed to show it, but it was actually a little embarrassing for him. Beedle didn’t seem to mind. </p><p>“Well, you’ve been my most loyal customer since! Who’s your friend?” </p><p>Shinobu looked over at Honda to introduce himself, who had a small smile on his face after the story. He cleared his throat, maintaining a more diplomatic smile. “Prince Ikue. It’s a pleasure to meet you…?” Honda performed a perfect bow, waiting for the man to introduce his own name. </p><p>Beedle laughed. “Oh, that’s a good one! You do have the blonde hair for it, though,” he slapped his knee, taking a deep breath after laughing. Shinobu and Honda remained silent. “... You’re not like, serious, right?” </p><p>“I’m frankly unsure of how to respond to that.” Honda shifted on his feet. “Though I understand the skepticism. It has been a century. However, Ganon has been defeated, and I aim to rebuild Hyrule to its former glory.” He paused for a moment, looking to Shinobu, “Kouji-kun, How were you able to convince people that you were the hero?”</p><p>Beedle stared at them like they’d grown two heads. “Shinobu-san is… the what? Ganon’s… huh?”</p><p>“Perhaps we should talk separately.” Honda decided, raising an eyebrow at him, and walking out before either of the others had a chance to disagree. Shinobu ducked his head as he followed him. </p><p>“I… had to convince people I wasn’t.” Shinobu mumbled, taking his horse with them as they walked over to the stable manager.</p><p>“Why would you feel the need to…? No, actually, that indeed sounds like the type of thing you would do.” Honda pinched the space between his brow. “Much of my plan involved people recognising who I was, unfortunately. I should have realised it wouldn’t be so simple after a hundred years.” </p><p>“Sorry.” </p><p>Shinobu looked to the ground, reaching into his pockets and pulling out 60 rupees for two beds and stabling his horse. The man thanked him, and Shinobu led Nuggets to a small shelter where the horses were kept. He’d done this enough times that they didn’t bother getting a worker to take his horse for him. Honda watched him tie Nuggets up to the pole by a pile of hay and water for the horses. </p><p>“You’re so similar, but so different.” Honda noted, to which Shinobu could only respond with a confused blink. “No, nevermind. Where do we order the food?”</p><p>Shinobu gestured to a nearby cooking pot, trying to communicate that they’d be cooking it themselves. The entire demographic of those at the stable was travellers, pretty much all of which could cook on the road. Many took advantage of the cooking pot over just an open fire and cooked provisions for their journey. </p><p>“Ah. Do we have ingredients?” Honda took out the sheikah slate again, swiping through the materials stored inside the device. Shinobu waited for him to come to his own conclusion on that. If not, he could go catch a few fish, but it probably wasn’t how a royal knight would be expected to do so. “I’ll cook. I recommend you change your bandages in the meantime. I believe the rest of the roll is in the saddle bag.” </p><p>That was fair. Shinobu cooked for the benefit of his health and strength, not particularly for taste. Usually it just tended to be meat skewers, or even meat stolen from enemies, when times were tougher. He couldn’t really make anything nice. The light in the sky started to fall as Shinobu returned from visiting the horses, giving Nuggets a brush down while he was there. </p><p>Honda was using the wooden ladle that lay beside the cooking pot, and seemed to be waiting for something to fry. Shinobu sat down on a wooden block by the fire, taking off his shirt and shivering instantly from the cold wind. Unsurprisingly, he was littered with scars and burns, a portion of which he still couldn’t recall the origin of. Namely, a large scorch mark straight through his chest. He was lucky to have survived it, whatever it was. </p><p>Shinobu got to work pulling off the bandages on his shoulder, wincing in the places where the blood stuck the bandage onto the raw skin. The fire in the cooking pot between them let out embers against the darkening sky, and Shinobu noticed that there was still some dried blood in his hair. He needed a bath. He looked up to see Honda taking out various herbs and spices he’d acquired over his travels, but never felt the need to use, since they offered no practical bonus. </p><p>Shinobu pointed at the cooking point, and tilted his head obviously to the side, asking a question without words. Honda thought about it for a moment, trying to decode his gestures. It was a wonder Honda wasn’t annoyed yet. Did he do this before, too? </p><p>“What am I cooking?” Shinobu shook his head. “Why can I cook, as a prince?” Shinobu shook his head, and decided not to comment on the fact that he’d called himself a prince again.</p><p>“Learn.” He stated, and Honda understood. He frowned, looking down into the cooking pot.</p><p>“My mother.” </p><p>Honda didn’t elaborate, Shinobu didn’t press. He wasn’t sure what happened to the Queen, but no one in Honda’s immediate family would still be alive now regardless. Some time passed, a few travellers came and went around them but it was otherwise quiet. Beedle was busy with customers, but eventually he headed inside as it got dark. The stable hands wandered around, lighting up the torches and feeding the goats they kept on small islands on the riverbank. It was peaceful. And for once, Shinobu could enjoy it, without the crushing knowledge that every second he spent relaxing was one second longer that the world was plagued by malice and Ganon.</p><p>“Kouji-kun.” Ah. The peace was broken, he knew what was coming. “I believe there’s a few topics we must discuss.” Shinobu tried not to let it show that he wasn’t particularly enthusiastic about the idea of discussing anything. He nodded, but still diverted his eyes. Where did you start, when it came to something like this? </p><p>“I’m well aware you’d likely rather avoid it, but for the moment, I do not have anyone else I can rely on.” Shinobu continued to bandage the wound, but tried to meet his eyes. He hadn’t seen it like that before. “That being said, your duty is fulfilled. I do not expect you to follow me, a stranger to you, if you are unhappy with this arrangement.” </p><p>Shinobu shrugged his shoulders. “Uhm, don’t mind.” </p><p>“In general, this is the kind of thing you should mind, Kouji-kun.” Honda sighed, but it wasn’t angry. He moved around the food in the pan, creating a stronger smell around them. “Secondly, I suppose I wanted to ask…”  </p><p>“Do you truly remember me?” </p><p>It looked uncomfortable to ask. Shinobu felt uncomfortable to answer. He looked down, in shame. It wasn’t that Honda was a stranger, either. He was familiar in a way that had no real explanation, someone Shinobu felt he could trust, even though he had no memories, no proof to support it. It was why he felt like talking more than normal. That, and Honda seemed to actually care what he had to say. Normally, he could get through an exchange with a simple set of ‘yes’ and ‘no’. </p><p>“I understand. Please do not stress, I am not upset about it. It isn’t something you can help.”</p><p>“Is it… weird? That I’m ah, not, you know… the same.” Shinobu asked quietly, the comment from before still affecting him. He distracted himself by tying the bandage, moving to the one around his wrist and hand. </p><p>“Well, that face of yours never changed,” Honda quietly laughed, as Shinobu stared back at him with the exact, blank face in question. He was awkward back then too, huh. He could no longer blame his lack of memories for his lack of social skills, then. “It is strange, I will admit, but I would rather meet you again and find out you aren’t quite the same, than never see you again.”</p><p>“Sorry,” Shinobu apologised under his breath. He must have made Honda worry a lot.</p><p>“I’ve told you-” He began, before trailing off and exhaling. “No, you wouldn’t remember. I do not like when others apologise when there is no reason for it. I have said that it is more than alright, and you are not at fault for it in the first place.” </p><p>“I’ll… uh… remember. That.”</p><p>Honda fondly smiled at him, and only then did he realise the irony of what he’d said. He finished up messily rebandaging the wounds, swiping his shirt up from the ground and pulling it over his head. </p><p>“I appreciate it.” Honda served up grilled bright-eyed crabs, with a side of cooked Hyrule herbs and Goron spice. Shinobu noticed he seemed lighter, and more relaxed for the rest of the night. While Shinobu’s stress had just ended, Honda’s had only begun. They planned out their next few days of travel, which mainly involved travelling to Kakariko safely. Honda mentioned a few places they could stop along the way to gather resources, while Shinobu pointed out the monster camps to avoid. To rebuild an entire Kingdom from quite literally nothing was an ambitious task. </p><p>Shinobu had a feeling that if anyone could do it, it was him. </p><p>“Good-night.” </p><p>“... Night, Ikue-kun.” </p><p>Honda fell asleep the second he lay against the sheets, exhausted from the fight and everything he had to process today. Shinobu took out the Sheikah slate, the screen glowing blue against the darkness of the stable. He flicked open to the photos that Honda himself had taken, hoping the longer he stared the more likely it would be that he’d remember something, wondering just how much he’d lost.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Broken bridges</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Incredible. It is difficult to believe they’re still functional, there is so much we have yet to understand about the Sheikah technology,” Honda mused, standing on the front platform of the shrine. It reflected a blue light over the two of them, the stable they’d slept in just in the background, but Shinobu couldn’t help thinking it was… darker than before. He waved his hand awkwardly for a few seconds trying to get Honda’s attention, who was intently watching the inner platform with curiosity. </p><p>Shinobu looked around, coughing lightly. Honda finally looked back to him, and he made a notion of pointing at the Sheikah slate and at the small pedestal on the outside. Admittedly, he was also curious about whether they would still work. They existed to train the hero, after all, and what was there left to train him for?—</p><p>No. He didn’t want to think about that. Honda didn’t seem to notice at the time, but a wave of anxiety washed over him like needles pricking at his skin and making him want to rip it off. If they were still glowing, did that mean he wasn’t done? </p><p>He was probably overthinking it. </p><p>Honda was already putting the slate on the pedestal, waiting for a moment as nothing happened. He sighed in light, discreet annoyance. Nothing had changed from before. Shinobu barely remembered it, but he had a feeling this happened before. Honda wordlessly passed it over to him to try, carefully handling it like the one of a kind, incredible artefact it was. Shinobu… decided to hide how many times he’d dropped it off the side of a cliff, and that one time it fell in the molten lava of Death Mountain. Thing was basically unbreakable.</p><p>Shinobu walked over, yawning as he put it on the pedestal. He was almost more tired for having gotten more sleep than usual— a harsh reminder of how abnormal his sleeping patterns could be. He tended to have a bad habit of running and fighting until he dropped.</p><p>His ears perked up. A slight humming noise began to surface, the odd stone beneath him trembling. Instinctively, he walked to the inner platform, waiting for the ground to light up with a liquid blue and slowly descend. Honda followed him, looking uneasy from the unstable ground. Maybe their age really was getting to them.</p><p>Shinobu blinked in surprise when the platform suddenly dropped. Honda yelled out, reaching his hand across the gap for Shinobu to grab. Without hesitation, while his hair flew in the air from the force, he managed to take his hand— but Honda couldn’t hold it. The sudden weight caused him to slip. Shinobu ripped the paraglider from his side, the old, but reliable cloth bringing him to a stop mid-air, gently bringing him down. </p><p>He managed to release one hand to give a thumbs up above, where Honda looked like he’d just had three heart attacks simultaneously. Still, this wasn’t normal. Shinobu looked inside properly, stepping off the platform. There was a small waiting room before a wider, empty room. He knew well how that went. It was only moderate, if he remembered correctly, but there was no real indication in the room, and there were too many for him to say it wasn’t possible he had them mixed up.</p><p>“... Kouji-kun? Are you there?” A concerned voice called from above, and he realised he’d walked out of sight without a word. Shinobu went back to the platform, standing just in front of it and shrugging his shoulders at Honda, who was crouched and leaning over to look down. “So you are also unaware of what caused it, I see….” In a renewed, louder voice, to echo down to Shinobu, he continued- “I believe we should investigate.” </p><p>Shinobu watched him in indifference. It didn’t really matter to him. </p><p>“I’d like to come down, but I fear we won’t easily return.” Honda seemed to softly chew on the corner of his lip, looking around behind him with a sigh. “Stay there. I will see if it’s possible to borrow a rope from the stable.” </p><p>And like that, he was gone. Shinobu stayed just before the platform as instructed, because where else could he go? He watched the empty centre of the shrine suspiciously, a reckless part of him tempted to stride forward just to see what would happen, just to see if he was still a hero, or whether he could finally rest. </p><p>He… wasn’t sure which of those made him more uncomfortable. </p><p>Honda returned after not long, Shinobu hovered one hand over his eyes to shade them from the sun that had shifted to shine down on the shrine. He threw the rope down, and Shinobu stepped back as it fell, landing around the height of his shoulder. After tying it to something, Shinobu wasn’t sure what, Honda began to scale down the side. He had allowed himself some slight casualty in his dress, in the context that he had nothing else, and he was hardly recognizable after a hundred years regardless. Still, he managed to look effortlessly nicer than Shinobu was sure he ever had. A prince through and through. </p><p>Shinobu stepped forward onto the cold, metal platform, some dormant instinct pulling him there, when the dull circle lit up in a vibrant blue. A magnetic force field activated, and the platform shifted below him. Shinobu stumbled, and Honda was thrown from the rope with a shocked yell. The movement was over in a moment, going quiet, but Shinobu barely noticed over his adrenaline, throwing himself in the direction Honda was shocked into. </p><p>He didn’t manage to catch him in time, but softened his fall, the two of them tumbling in a heap through the small waiting room and into the larger, fighting hall. Shinobu heaved out a breath, staring blankly up at Honda, who looked back down in equal shock. </p><p>“Uh… Hurt?” Shinobu slowly managed, blinking slowly. Honda took a few deep breaths, closing his eyes. </p><p>“No. It was just… sudden, is all. I am quite alrig-”</p><p>Honda didn’t get to finish as another strange, ancient whirring noise began to creep to life, and the floor that Shinobu was still pinned to began to lightly shake. He tiredly looked upside down to the centre, where a large platform began to ascend from below the floor. Above him, Honda looked incredulously at it. </p><p>“... Again?”</p><p>Shinobu nodded. </p><p>The guardian on it was disarmed, as it always was to begin with. Though, seconds later, it remained. Shinobu watched it with a detached interest, was it a shell? It didn’t appear to be gaining power. That would make sense, given-</p><p>A beam of blue light shot out through the eye directly toward them. Shinobu quickly rolled them both over, for a moment ending up on his knees over Honda, who sucked in an audible breath with a shade of pink dusting his cheeks. Shinobu narrowed his eyes at the guardian, quickly standing and running across the room, drawing the master sword from its sheath and praying to Hylia that it still worked. </p><p>He managed to draw the guardians attention, watching the various glowing blue blades and axes popping out. There was something unnerving about it that he couldn’t place, something wrong that twitched beneath the surface. He ran forward, slamming the sword into the side of its body as the axe came down on him. The pattern was always the same, he raised his arm where a shield should have been to protect himself- </p><p>Shinobu didn’t have a shield. </p><p>Shit. </p><p>He dropped down to dodge, but the axe caught it in time, running a ragged line down his arm. Shinobu ran at the guardian again, knowing that the quicker it was over, the better. There were four columns in the room to defend from blasts, but that wouldn’t buy him enough shots, not without a shield. Shinobu rushed it with as many attacks as he could manage, jumping backward when a sword arm sliced where he had been. </p><p>“Kouji-kun!” Shinobu violently whipped his head to Honda, who had taken a royal golden shield he had stored in the sheikah slate and was throwing it in his direction. Shinobu ran to catch it, but swore under his breath as the guardian turned its attention on Honda, who stood rapidly tapping the slate in frustration. </p><p>He heard a quiet mechanical noise, one he knew better than anything. A sound that seemed to resonate somewhere, echoing in the corner of the memories that he couldn’t remember, and his legs moved before he could even think about it. Shinobu slid to a stop in front of him, bracing himself against the shield and- the timing, the timing has to be right if you’re a second off you’re dead-</p><p>Feeling the slightest pressure, he pushed back, straining his arms to shove the blast back into the eye of the guardian. It sizzled, twitched, and collapsed in a mess heap on the ground. Shinobu finally took a breath, using his other hand to take the shield off and winced on noticing the blood smeared against the back of it. No wonder he struggled with the strength of the blast… </p><p>Shinobu should’ve been better prepared. He didn’t have the slate to access his weapons, and he never tested whether the master sword was still accessible to him- too many oversights that could have cost him and Honda their lives. He shook his bloody arm with a slightly irritated sigh, turning back around. </p><p>Honda had been knocked back by him, and looked at him, looked down at his arm, with an expression akin to terror. His eyes were wide and cold, like his heart had stopped beating altogether, the slate abandoned where it fell. </p><p>“... Sorry.” Shinobu ducked his head, holding up his injured arm to his chest, wrapping his fingers around it as if it would stop the blood steadily flowing from it. Ah. He wasn’t supposed to apologise, right? Damnit. Some knight he was.</p><p>“I… I do not believe we share the same sentiment for why you should be apologising.” Honda grabbed the slate, slight relief in the crease of his brow when it properly activated. He took out the bandages they had stored inside it, standing and forcing his way into Shinobu’s space, taking his arm from his hold. Shinobu noticed a slight shake in his legs. </p><p>“You acted recklessly, and put yourself in the line of fire for me, without a second thought. Need I mention you were previously injured?” His voice held a calm and collected tone, but like the guardian, there was an undertone he couldn’t place. (The sound of a memory, flashes of something in Honda’s eyes that he should know, he should know well, but didn’t. Didn’t know, didn’t want to.) “I cannot let it… again… No, nevermind.”</p><p>“Oh. Uh… It’s… my job…?” Shinobu slowly stumbled out to the unexpected beration, passively letting Honda bandage his arm. The end puzzled him, but he respected that Honda didn’t seem to want to talk about it. Shinobu had plenty of those topics himself. “I uhm, could just be brought back to life, so.” </p><p>Honda froze as he tucked in the final edge.</p><p>“I’m sorry. I believe I misunderstood you. You could do what exactly now?” </p><p>Shinobu shrugged, indicating he could do exactly what he said he could. It was complicated to explain, anyway. He wasn’t in the mood to unearth a mountain of buried feelings left behind in the absence of the champions, unprepared to listen to his own echo in the space they left behind. </p><p>“Gift… Mipha.” He eventually mumbled out when Honda’s stare refused to let up, shrinking like a child being scolded. Honda softened, hearing the name, taking a step back. Shinobu tested out his mobility in the bandage, waving his hand around.</p><p>“Do you still hold the ability to do this?” Honda asked after a moment, sensing he wasn’t getting any more answers for the time being. </p><p>“Could test it.” </p><p>“You will not be doing anything of the sort.”</p><p>Honda dragged a hand down his face, his horror shifting into a perplexed acceptance, as if curious to see whether there was any way Shinobu could make this revelation any worse. Shinobu slid the sword back into the sheathe at his side, making his way over to the destroyed guardian, that Honda watched with a wary eye, maintaining his distance. </p><p>“Have you…” Shinobu looked over, watching him hesitate with his words, swallowing before steeling himself to continue. “Have you ever had to use it? Have you ever…” Have you ever died? Shinobu heard the unsaid question loud and clear, for once in his life. He gave him a strange look, tilting his head, unsure of how to answer. </p><p>Rather, the question should be how many times a week. </p><p>Shinobu merely shrugged, going back to investigating the guardian. It was smaller, so it didn’t have as much to take, but he grabbed the loose nuts and bolts to put in his pocket for later. Maybe the shrines guardians ran on a separate power than malice? But then, why would they reactivate in the blood moon?</p><p>“You were always quiet. But at the very least, in the times past, you were beginning to actually openly communicate with me.” Honda sounded… annoyed. Maybe. Shinobu wasn’t great at this. Maybe that was why he couldn’t meet Honda’s disappointed eyes, staring holes into the guardian he was crouched beside. </p><p>“... You’d be mad.” </p><p>“I believe that’s a perfectly natural response to someone who can’t show the slightest inch of care for their life!” The outburst surprised him enough to look back, his throat tightening as he did. Honda was frustrated in the core of his body language, the princely facade and manner breaking down one action at a time. He seemed to realize this too, taking a breath and composing himself again. “I understand well that I may be but a stranger to you, but you must understand that you are not a stranger to me… I’m in no position to berate you, but-” </p><p>“Not my choice.”</p><p>Shinobu spoke softly, but Honda caught it, pausing his sentence. </p><p>“It was… never my choice.” </p><p>He regretted speaking, the conflicted, almost guilty expression on Honda’s face tearing him apart as effectively as the guardian did. Shinobu wanted to thank him for the shield, to ask what went wrong with the slate, and to see what he thought was happening- but the silence held a  deafening weight. Shinobu decided there was nothing left to see in the guardian, nothing was abnormal. He was just paranoid. The shrines were old and breaking down, that was it. </p><p>Shinobu swooped up the shield from the ground, walking past Honda to the platform. He tugged on the rope lightly to test it, before heaving himself up and climbing against the wall. Honda took the slate and followed silently soon after. Shinobu felt that the gap between the hero he was in the past, the hero he was expected to be, and who he was in the present, only widened more. He offered Honda a hand up from inside the shrine, but kept his distance and kept his silence.</p><p>Shinobu… wasn’t ready to handle his disappointment, and he wasn’t sure why Honda mattered so much it hurt.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>am i well aware that specific shrine isn't a test of strength? yeah. did i make it one to serve plot purposes anyway? also yeah.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. The blame game</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Shinobu led a different horse out of the stables, having put in a request the day before for one of his horses to be transferred to the stable for Honda. He asked for whichever horse was stabled closest, which ended up being Poppy. She was his newest addition, a vibrant ginger with white patches and the kindest temperament of all the horses he owned. He combed his hand through her mane as he led her out into the green field, watching Honda out of the corner of his eye, who sat on a wooden stable stool and seemed to be using the slates functions, for a reason Shinobu couldn’t decipher. </p><p>The two of them had barely talked since the argument. It was… awkward. </p><p>Honda tried to look across to him, both of them immediately turning away when their eyes met. How did you resolve a disagreement? Is that what this was? Shinobu was trained to fight with his fists and keep his mouth shut, rarely getting into arguments, and never learning how to stop them when he did. Focusing back on Poppy, he made a clicking noise to beckon her forward, taking her around in small circles to check if she was rested enough for a long journey. All seemed to be well, Poppy continued to follow him easily, nudging him with her head affectionately.</p><p>Past Poppy’s head, Honda playing with the stable dog, ruffling its fluffy fur with a small smile. There was something familiar about the scene that he couldn’t quite place, a faded memory of a different dog, from a different time. Shinobu remembered Honda’s hazy figure, crouched among vibrant green bushes. It was night, or perhaps it was an indoor garden. There was a bigger dog (a stray?), it was black- or was it dark brown? The more he tried to think, the less clear the image became, until he lost it entirely. Poppy tried to push him toward Honda, noticing how he froze up, to which he could only half-heartedly resist.</p><p>“Don’t look at me like that. I’d like to see you try,” Shinobu mumbled in a complaint under his breath, gently pushing her head away.</p><p>Giving in to her whims, he took her reins and led her to where Honda sat, the smile on his face disappearing like the stable dog, who was now more interested in the new travelers walking by. Shinobu stopped in his tracks, and the silence that stretched between them settled in the pit of his stomach, dread piling up like weighted stones. He awkwardly pointed behind Honda, where a spare plain saddle was left hanging on a fence. Shinobu wasn’t really sure why he felt the need to justify himself. He should be saying something, right?</p><p>“Well? I do not believe you are in need of my permission,” Honda spoke curtly, returning his attention to the slate. Shinobu shrunk in on himself, quickly moving past to get the saddle. Had Shinobu missed something when he was using the slate? Did it change somehow, from before it was his? He guessed he wasn’t really entitled to that information now. Honda had probably known the slate longer than he had, but it was all Shinobu knew. It was attached to his hip from the moment he woke up, the earliest he could clearly remember. </p><p>He threw the saddle over Poppy’s back, bending his knees and half-crouching to reach under the belly and slide in the straps, securing it tight so it didn’t slip. Poppy neighed, impatient if Shinobu had to guess, stomping her feet around. He raised one of his own feet to dodge the hoof without much thought, expecting the response. Horses could sense the atmosphere, after all. It was probably as uncomfortable for him as it was for her. He turned back to Honda, trying to catch his attention by giving a small wave and coughing. </p><p>Shinobu would like to blame this on his unreliable voice, but the truth was, he couldn’t. Even though they hadn’t travelled together long, Honda always found a way to interpret his… unorthodox, communications. He always listened, even if Shinobu wasn’t talking. Another pang of guilt hit him. </p><p>He would… try after they left. They could talk then. </p><p>“Poppy.” Once Honda noticed him, he gestured back to the horse behind him, who curiously shoved her head past him and into Honda’s face. Honda abruptly fell back in surprise in a show of un-prince like grace, and if they were on better terms, Shinobu might have laughed. Was that mean?</p><p>“I… It is quite alright, I am more than happy to walk…” Honda mumbled out, his attention trained on the horse. Shinobu frowned, and tried to hand him the reins again- was he refusing it… because it was Shinobu offering? </p><p>Honda sighed at his insistence, as if noticing the subtle shift in Shinobu’s face (unlikely as it was), standing up properly and taking the reins from him. Honda held too far down the leather and stood too far away, and Shinobu didn’t get a chance to point it out before Poppy shook her head around wildly, trying to nudge Shinobu again. Honda frowned, pulling the horse back toward him, but she easily overpowered him, seemingly happily strolling forward.</p><p>“Come!” Honda commanded with a voice that sounded like a ruler and a King, but Poppy was no loyal subject, shaking him off again. Honda likely grew up with highly trained animals (and people) that followed his beck and call… It made sense why he struggled to deal with her. Shinobu put a hand over his mouth, looking away and trying to suppress the amusement in his eyes while Poppy walked behind him smugly. </p><p>With a frustrated noise that surprised Shinobu, Honda tried pulling harder. Poppy bucked up to the sky, ripping the reins from Honda’s hands as he stumbled backwards, off-balanced. It was then Shinobu saw a sense of genuine worry seeping through his firm exterior while Honda tried to pacify the horse, only agitating her further. </p><p>She reared again, but Shinobu stepped in front of her, unfazed by the display, his height allowing him to grab the reins under her chin and pull her back down. He mumbled a few soothing words under his breath until she settled, Honda standing by with an unreadable expression. Was he angry? </p><p>“It has been a long time since I dealt with them, and I must add that I was never the prodigy you were, either.” </p><p>Embarrassment, rather. (So Shinobu liked horses then, too.)</p><p>“Don’t just stand there. We need to finish preparing and leave, we have already lost too much daylight.” Honda decisively waved a hand and stalked off back inside the stable, while Shinobu blinked curiously after him. What other preparations? Well, Shinobu probably wouldn’t know- he was always one to run around with nothing, never staying in one place long. Preparation was a luxury he wasn’t often afforded. </p><p>In the meantime he was left with two horses, expectantly looking at him. Horses really were easier to understand than people. Nuggets bent his head low, pushing toward where his pockets were, and it wasn’t long before Poppy was joining. He tried to pacify them, pushing them away with a fond expression while he took out the endura carrots, giving one to both of them. </p><p>Honda paid the staff for their stay, before walking back out toward Poppy, cautiously placing a hand on her saddle as if waiting for a violent reaction. Eventually, he put a foot in the stirrup and hauled himself up, needing a moment to settle into the saddle. </p><p>“Uhm… Scout.” Shinobu pointed at the road ahead, looking up at Honda, who quickly straightened his back, reminded of the others' presence, and nodded stiffly. Though there was no malice to revive them, there could still easily be camps of monsters on their way. Shinobu could decide whether to take them out or reroute when he got there. Protecting people was all he could remember how to do.</p><p>Shinobu swung himself onto Nuggets with practiced ease, the horse already bolting to life the second his feet left the ground. He didn’t know how to make up with others, but he hoped he could learn soon. He didn’t want to stray far from Honda, steering Nuggets around when they reached the empty wooden bridge down past the lake. If they continued to follow the water, it should be relatively safe… </p><p>Shinobu took his bow off his shoulders and held it cautiously regardless, letting Nuggets slow the pace for a moment. He focused on the sound of the rushing water beside him, sighing to himself and running his free hand messily through his horse's hair.</p><p>“If you wish to spend time distanced from me, I believe it would be more efficient to just inform me, Kouji-kun.”</p><p>Shinobu startled at the voice, spinning on his horse and drawing an arrow in Honda’s direction quicker than he could stop himself. Honda put his hands up passively, looking equally wide-eyed in surprise at the sudden arrow pointed at his face. Once the stuttering in his chest fell, Shinobu lost his breath altogether, blinking helplessly and slowly lowering the bow.</p><p>“I didn’t mean to startle you. Your horse is stealthier than expected for her size, I suppose.”</p><p>Shinobu shook his head.</p><p>“She is not stealthy, it was you who was distracted?” Honda attempted to translate, but Shinobu quickly shook his head again. Before Honda could try a second guess, Shinobu spoke up. </p><p>“Didn’t want to get away.”</p><p>Honda’s face softens in understanding, giving Poppy a small kick for her to ride up next to Nuggets, who also began trotting at a slow pace. </p><p>“I didn’t mean to assume. That was rather unkind.” </p><p>“I… S….” </p><p>Shinobu felt his throat tighten up, again, intently staring at the ground in front of them while he willed himself to just… talk. But the snake coiled around his neck only pulled tighter as he hopelessly gestured with his hands and stuttered out incomprehensible single syllables.</p><p>“Sor-” The second time he got close, while Honda patiently waited with a concerned look, a loud horn blowing interrupted them. Shinobu instantly switched his attention, angling his bow in the direction it came where two bokoblin riders madly dashed across the field in their direction, beating their clubs against their chests. </p><p>He aimed with calculated precision, hitting one straight through the head and knocking him off the horse. The horse ran in fright, crashing into the other rider and knocking the bokoblin off. It was too dangerous to shoot now, because the horses were unpredictable, and Shinobu couldn’t risk hurting them for something that wasn’t their fault. </p><p>He and Honda both hopped off their horses, Shinobu pulling out the Yiga weapon he had stolen from his side and running at the easiest target. It blocked with its measly wooden shield, but Shinobu bested it by dropping his weapon and charging straight at it, tackling it to the floor. They rolled around on the grass, the bokoblin’s weapon and shield discarded in favour of yanking at Shinobu’s hair and trying to bite his face. Shinobu smashed his head into the monsters, causing it to stumble back while he leapt back at it and threw it to the ground. </p><p>Behind him, the second monster had picked up his Yiga weapon, holding the demon carver over his neck. By the time Shinobu noticed and braced himself for the worst, the monster was bashed to the side with a guttural yell. He blinked over once, looking at the monster's body limp on the grass, and twice, switching his confused gaze to Honda, who stood next to him holding the bokoblin club now coated in blood. </p><p>Honda took a deep breath, the adrenaline of the situation catching up on the both of them. He swung the club over his shoulder in what might’ve been an attempt to seem composed, uncomfortably looking away and adjusting his posture in a way that suggested otherwise. </p><p>“There is no need to gape. Perhaps not to your level, but I have been trained. You were the one that taught me I could utilize enemy weapons, were you not?” Shinobu only continued to stare. “... I understand that it is… unbecoming of my position, but I do not need to be patronized, I am well aware of my responsibilities, and I am capable of making rational decisions, which I believe are justified in this case.” Honda harshly continued, and Shinobu only then realized how truly out of his depth Honda probably felt.</p><p>“Thank you.”</p><p>Shinobu stood up, dusting the grass off his pants, and tried to earnestly meet Honda’s eye. It didn’t last long, but Honda seemed to relax, so whatever it was, it must have worked. (It would be weird if Shinobu said he actually looked really cool… right? Yeah. Probably. That was a weird thought to have.) </p><p>“And, uh… Sorry. For… yeah.” He gestured lamely, putting a hand awkwardly to the back of his neck and exhaling. He really couldn’t get this right. “I didn’t… think, what you’re going through. I’m bad. At people.” </p><p>Honda huffed out a small laugh, smiling genuinely. When Shinobu tilted his head in confusion, he quickly waved it off, a fond look that Shinobu didn’t know how to feel about, didn’t know how to respond to. </p><p>“I do not mean to mock you. It is just… you said something similar to me once before, a long time ago. I didn’t say it then, but Kouji-kun, I believe you are better than you give yourself credit for.” Honda explained, finally dropping the bokoblin weapon to the floor. “And it is quite alright. I also must apologize, for I didn’t consider the pressure you’re dealing with either.” </p><p>Ah. They were okay now. Honda took the lead and began walking back toward their horses, and Shinobu quickly followed like an overgrown puppy. “All I request is that while you are relieved of your duties as the hero, you attempt to take better care of yourself,” Honda phrased it more like a demand, and Shinobu had no choice but to shrug and nod. “If there is anything you should ask of me, I hope you’re aware this goes both ways. You are my equal, not my personal knight.”</p><p>Shinobu wondered if being a knight, technically a servant to him, affected their relationship before. He wondered why Honda spent so long using the Sheikah slate, and who that dog was in his hazy memories, and why Honda reacted so defensively, as if expecting to be berated for saving Shinobu’s life-- and what even was their plan from here on out? </p><p>“Remember… long hair?” Shinobu ended up asking, gesturing to his own hair as if it were longer. Honda seemed surprised by the question, before snorting lightly to himself, sitting up in Poppy’s saddle as they began riding again toward a much larger stone bridge in the distance.</p><p>“I cut it.” He answered with a degree of amusement, that of all the questions Shinobu could ask… Well, Shinobu wasn’t really sure why either. Honda moved his head, looking down at the small ponytail his hair was pulled into. “As a prince, particularly as I failed to awaken my powers, many choices I did not approve of were made in my name. I felt the need to do something that I chose, and seeing yours,” Shinobu looked down to the ratty mess of his own hair, only slightly embarrassed, “I thought, what’s the worst that could happen?”</p><p>Shinobu slightly raised an eye-brow. His hair was what inspired Honda to cut his own? The hair he hadn’t brushed or washed in Hylia knows how long?</p><p>“Despite the utter lack of care you put into it, it looked deceivingly, well… Fluffy, for lack of a better word.” Honda cleared his throat, quickly moving on from the statement before Shinobu could ponder on it. “Regardless, I- Oh… No.” </p><p>It took Shinobu a moment to realize what he was looking at. The ruins. Honda got off his horse again, climbing over fallen fragments of the wall and making his way toward the fountain broken at the tip. Whatever was left of the charred site was overgrown in moss and weeds, a mountain of dirt and rubble half-burying what was left of that fountain. </p><p>Honda kept walking, barely able to stop, barely keeping up with his thoughts as if in a daze, kneeling down to pick up the burnt scraps of a carpet left behind. It wasn’t just one building. There was a sea of ruins, and what once was a road down the middle became a path of destruction the Calamity left in its wake.</p><p>“The East Post.” Honda said through an exhale of awe and horror, standing and running his hand along the stone. Shinobu climbed over one of the walls where Honda was inside, crouching on top of the ruins and patiently waiting. Nearby, the flag of Hyrule was darkened to a crisp, what was left limply hanging. Honda had seen ruins from a distance on the field, but Shinobu imagined it was nothing like this. </p><p>“I visited once, to negotiate for the royal family…” Shinobu quietly listened, letting Honda keep walking through the grass and the small flowers that bloomed in between the stones. Honda reached the flag post, climbing what was left of the stairs and avoiding the missing patches to look at how far the destruction spread. Shinobu could do nothing but awkwardly pat his shoulder while tears built in the prince's eyes. </p><p>He understood. For Shinobu, it hit when he visited the Castle Town. He had ducked in and between the ruins to hide from the mass of guardians targeting him from all directions, when he’d landed in a fairly well-preserved house. It was small, and nothing special, but there was half a broken bed and the ripped head of a stuffed toy bunny, with splatters of something dark dried on it. He teleported out, not even taking two steps before he was throwing up. Shinobu didn’t sleep for weeks after that. </p><p>Ruins were a painfully crisp reminder of everyone who suffered for both of their failures. </p><p>“Wasn’t your fault.”</p><p>Honda turned to him, puffy red eyes still managing a withering gaze that spelt out ‘bullshit’. Shinobu couldn’t argue, not when he still recklessly threw himself into fights he wasn’t prepared for, even seeking them out, like a kind of fucked up punishment for everything he believed he caused. </p><p>“Let’s just… go.” Honda wiped his eyes again, squinting through the tears and jumping off the side of the flag post, angrily walking toward the bridge. Shinobu put his hands to his lips, whistling loudly to call Nuggets. He hadn’t trained Poppy yet, but she followed Nuggets anyway. Shinobu walked with both their reins, following a distance behind Honda to give him space.</p><p>The bridge, unlike the ruins, was almost entirely functional, apart from a few smaller chips around the edges. The fire pits along the bridge were lit recently, but Honda seemed too preoccupied to notice. </p><p>“Hello! We’ve got nice weather today, haven’t we?” A friendly voice greeted, jogging up the bridge from the opposite side and giving a friendly wave. She had long black hair in a simple braid, carrying a fairly standard spear. “Oh! Shinobu-san, you’re okay! And you brought a friend!” As she approached them, she bowed formally, Shinobu ducking his head and doing the same. </p><p>“Chinatsu Amedzutsumi, I don’t believe we’ve met!” She turned to Honda brightly. </p><p>Honda bowed only his head after, regaining his composure. “It is a pleasure to meet you. I am…” He hesitated for a moment, eyes flickering to Shinobu for assistance. It was a pretty outrageous claim, to be a prince, and worse, to be a King. Shinobu figured there might be a degree of embarrassment at being caught crying, too. All things considered, he was already handling it far better than Shinobu probably could have. So he merely shrugged his shoulders, earning a more pointed glare. </p><p>Honda cleared his throat, and began again, looking apologetically to the girl almost oblivious to their non-verbal argument. “Prince Ikue. Whether you believe me or not is up to your discretion, but I am telling you the truth.” </p><p>Amedzutsumi’s jaw fell open in shock, before quickly fixing herself, standing to attention and staring ahead. Shinobu… wasn’t sure if that was how you were supposed to treat royalty, but he didn’t really know either. He was kneeling in some memories, but maybe that was just a knight thing. It wasn’t like there was a Royal family around recently, to be fair to both of them. “I’m so sorry, your Highness! I greeted you so casually and didn’t recognize you!”</p><p>“No, no, please do not concern yourself with such things. It has been quite a long time since I’ve truly been a prince,” Honda politely reassured her, looking a little uncomfortable at the formality in a way that reminded Shinobu of people calling him the hero. “May I ask what you’re doing here alone?” He changed the conversation diplomatically and effortlessly, while Shinobu stood back with their horses and watched. He liked Amedzutsumi. Though their first meeting had been a little awkward when Shinobu had to explain he wasn’t trying to kill himself by jumping off the bridge, he just got hungry, and was going fishing. Explaining how he fished was a separate ordeal altogether. </p><p>“I’m patrolling, sir!” She quickly answered, before expanding, laughing a little nervously. “I guess this is a pretty important route for travelers, so I thought maybe I could help out a little by guarding it? A lot of people get lost around here too, so I try to offer directions!” </p><p>“In that case, thank you, Amedzutsumi-san. I am in your debt, but I promise you will be rewarded once I am able to re-build Hyrule.” Shinobu could only watch Honda in admiration, leaning against Nuggets side. He spoke with full confidence that he could do it, as impossible a task as it seemed. Hell would freeze over the day Shinobu was half as eloquent as Honda managed to be. </p><p>“Ah! N-no, thank you, sir! And, I mean, it’s really alright! I don’t need anything. I’ll be really happy just to have a safer Hyrule!” </p><p>She stopped, gasping quietly and looking at Shinobu. He winced to himself. </p><p>“Shinobu-san… If the prince… And you’re…” She excitedly seemed to connect the dots, while Shinobu shifted uncomfortably on the spot.</p><p>“Traveler.” He quietly responded. </p><p>“You’re sure?” She double checked, and he nodded again insistently, to which she could only sigh and deflate. But less so than he thought she would. Honda looked at him, but said nothing. </p><p>“Ah, well. Hero or not, Shinobu-san, I think you’re pretty amazing either way!” She praised, going a little red. “I just, uhm, I’ve seen you saving people from monsters a few times now, and I think that’s really cool.”</p><p>He waved his hands in front of him to brush it off, the tips of his ears flushing pink while his expression remained classically neutral. </p><p>“I believe so too.” Honda added, to which Shinobu could only stare, utterly lost. For a second, the prince almost seemed smug about it. “However, we should continue while we still have daylight. I do hope we will meet again.” </p><p>“Of course! I’m sorry to have kept you,” Amedzutsumi bowed again, before smiling and hopping out of their way, “stay safe out there, Shinobu-san!”</p><p>He waved good-bye as Honda took Poppy’s reins from him, holding higher up than he did before. He learnt from that. It also seemed like his mood had improved, or at the very least, what he had seen was out of his mind, which Shinobu was thankful for. If anyone could cheer them both up at once, it would be her. </p><p>Ahead of them were the Dueling Peaks, two large mountains seemingly split down the middle rose above them in the distance. The horses' hooves trotted behind them, and recognition seemed to dawn on Honda’s face. </p><p>“We should find another route.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>im well aware that there was a far quicker way for them to get from the stable to Kakariko but im pretending it doesn't exist for plot convenient reasons &lt;3</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Team work makes the dream work (not)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It was later in the afternoon by the time they reached the next stable for a pit-stop, the last golden rays of sun providing a warmth that contrasted the sharp edge to the air ever since Honda’s cryptic statement. Shinobu had explained that this was, really, kind of the only way through. Any other path would require a degree of climbing and acrobatics that most were… Unequipped for. Himself included, he supposed, now that it was possible he could actually die. Honda had accepted it, but never explained why. Shinobu glanced over at Honda, looking for some kind of clue, but found nothing. He wanted to ask why, but Shinobu was never good at asking for things, so he too, said nothing. They led the horses over to a trough of water, free for weary travelers and their horse companions.</p>
<p>“There is little hours left of the light, so continuing forward we should move at a faster pace,” Honda spoke, leaning against a wooden pole while Poppy craned her neck down to drink. “It would be rather unpleasant to travel in the dark, though I imagine it would be safe for someone of your skill.”</p>
<p>Shinobu shrugged without much thought, since it was mostly true. The night had once held the danger of Stal enemies- skeletons of monsters rose from the ground, the mismatched bones clattering together in an eerie, empty echo. The sockets where there should be eyes were shrouded in rot and a dim, purple glow. They couldn’t feel pain, and would rip their own arms and bones off their body for morbid, but strangely decent weapons. Shinobu would know, he had to use them himself at times.</p>
<p>Regardless, most didn’t go out after night. But time stopped for no one, and Shinobu couldn’t afford to waste anymore of it. There were even times he went out specifically to find them, hunting their bones to use in elixirs. They couldn’t die, but it still wasn’t something Shinobu was particularly proud of. His eyes quickly adjusted to the lack of light until he was as comfortable (if not more) traveling through the night, than in the day. Not to mention, the Stal shouldn’t exist anymore, now that the source of malice, their core, was gone.</p>
<p>“So you indeed traveled in the night…” Honda mused, gauging his reaction. Shinobu wasn’t sure what he was trying to work out, but nodded anyway. “I suppose you must have caught up on sleep in the day, then?”</p>
<p>Shinobu sheepishly looked away.</p>
<p>“I truthfully wish I could claim I was surprised.” Honda sighed, resting two fingers against his forehead as if soothing a headache. Shinobu tilted his head to the side in a silent, questioning look that his expression alone couldn’t communicate. “Your sleeping schedule was equally as horrendous while you served as a knight. Not even curfew seemed to stop you. Your dedication was admirable, if not admittedly concerning.” Honda elaborated with a huff, raising one eyebrow in a light-hearted gesture.</p>
<p>“You collapsed, asleep, in your own knighting ceremony,” he added with a tinge of amusement. Shinobu put his face into his hands, hiding himself away with a barely audible groan while Honda quietly chuckled. That sounded far too much like something he’d do. Perhaps some memories were better left forgotten after all.</p>
<p>(And yet, Shinobu doesn’t regret a single memory, even while his dreams are haunted by the same smell of charred flesh and the echo of broken sobs over his lifeless, limp body.)</p>
<p>“Does it… usually behave that way?” Honda asked, breaking him from his spiraling thoughts. Shinobu followed his gaze, to where one of the stable hands struggled trying to shoo away the dog from the livestock. The stable dog growled rabidly, biting at whatever wooden end the person cautiously poked in its direction. Odd. It was a shepherding dog, born and raised at the stable alongside the cattle. Why would it become aggressive to them now?</p>
<p>Shinobu shook his head, equally as puzzled. It was friendly the last time he visited- it actually led Shinobu to a small treasure buried in the forest nearby, which he didn’t really need, but appreciated the thought behind nonetheless. </p>
<p>“Seriously Bean?! What’s wrong with you! Stop it! Bad dog!” The stable hand tried to plead with it, pushing the broom stick handle harder while the dog bit down, saliva drooling down the wood with a kind of mindless savagery in its eyes. Honda took a tentative step forward, conflicted about whether he’d truly be any help. It happened quickly- the stable hand whimpered an apology, knocking the dog to the side with the handle. The dog immediately dropped to the ground as if the life had escaped out of its mouth, dissolving into the air.</p>
<p>No one had an explanation for what happened. The dog survived, and peacefully slept in the arms of the worried stable hand. All was well in the end, but Shinobu couldn’t shake the feeling of unease. It looked like it was eating away at Honda, too, and they easily agreed that it was time to go. </p>
<p>Shinobu paid to board the horses there indefinitely, it’s location put it close enough to Kakariko that they had time to walk, though Honda did seem hurried. They left, Honda walking ahead quickly down the beaten dirt path. Shinobu watched him from behind, following with his head lowered, a strange kind of distance put between them. </p>
<p>They began to pass through the field of abandoned guardians, vines and weeds creeping through the half-buried steel and metal legs limply scattered through the field, remnants of what happened 100 years ago. Shinobu stopped a few times along the way, digging through the scraps to grab cogs and nails. One took a little longer than the others, forcing him to crouch down and duck underneath it, the metal creaking as he tried to pull harder and take the glowing rim off the bottom- the parts could be made into ancient gear. He guessed he wouldn’t really need to fight guardians anymore, but it was a habit he couldn’t seem to shake, like the prickling sensation at the back of his neck when Honda strayed too far from him, and too close to the one alive guardian in the field of the dead.</p>
<p>He could place its location with his eyes closed. It looked the same as all the others, until you entered its vision, a bloody and violent surprise. </p>
<p>“We need to hurry, Kouji-kun!” Honda finally seemed to have noticed Shinobu wasn’t following, looking around in a moment of panic before noticing him. Shinobu blankly ducked his head out from under the guardian, blinking in confusion at the almost-distressed tone.</p>
<p>The field probably didn’t bring back good memories for Honda. It certainly didn’t bring back good memories for him, and Shinobu could only remember the smallest parts of it in hazy, inconsistent visions. He jogged up, holding all the parts he’d collected in his arms, while Honda sighed and took out the slate from his side. Shinobu curiously tried to peek at it while Honda stored the metal inside, shaking his head. </p>
<p>“Why do you collect such things, anyway?” Honda asked, his eyes shifting in a way that said he wasn’t entirely focused on their conversation or the question at hand. Shinobu merely shrugged, despite how frustrating the answer likely was, feeling a similar distraction himself. The field was brimming with life, but on the patch where they stood there was an unmistakable discolouration of burnt grass. Shinobu carefully eyed the alive guardian, a hesitation in his steps as he tapped Honda’s shoulder and tried to lead him away. (It would take him some time before he could overcome that habit.) </p>
<p>Honda picked up on his hesitation, frowning and going to speak before-</p>
<p>Mechanical noises spewed from the guardian as it shuddered and twitched to life, attempting to stand on its disjointed legs that clawed into patches of dirt, scraping the metal against the ground. It shouldn’t do that. It’s never tried to stand before. How was it alive? The malice should be gone. It shouldn’t be able to- A scene long past flickered in the depths of his dark eyes and Shinobu was moving in front of Honda before he could consciously think about it, pulling his bow off his back and drawing an arrow back, only breathing again after the shock of the arrows end brushing against his cheek. </p>
<p>The feeling came as quickly as it left, cold air seeping into his lungs as the arrow hit a bullseye, and the guardian stopped in its tracks, its head spinning jerkily while Shinobu dug through his quiver to find an ancient arrow. They took too many parts to mass produce, and the only person capable of making them drove a hard bargain- Shinobu used most of them in his fight with Ganon, which wasn’t as long ago as it seemed. One left. </p>
<p>The glowing blue power of the arrow rested by his cheek, while a glowing red target attached itself to his chest. </p>
<p>Shinobu let go just as a bright light shone beside him, blurring his vision for just long enough for his arrow to lose its course, landing on the grass beside the guardian. Beside him, Honda outstretched his hand, the light from before quickly shrinking into a smaller orb in his palm that he couldn’t seem to upkeep. His arms lightly shook from the effort, gritting his teeth as the light pulsated, but eventually dissipated. </p>
<p>That power… The last time he saw it was-</p>
<p>“I don’t understand! I should have awakened it, why is it- Kouji-kun?!” Honda was cut off as the guardian shot at Shinobu, who made an embarrassingly high noise of surprise, dropping to the ground quick enough for it to just miss him. He could still almost feel the heat singing the tips of his hair. That was too close. </p>
<p>While he lay flat on the ground gathering his breath, he looked back up at Honda and pointed at himself, joking in a quiet monotone, “not dead enough yet?”</p>
<p>“It is not the time for-! Don’t joke about that!” Honda instantly responded, frantically looking between the guardian and Shinobu, who was still… a little stuck for plans. They could run while they had the chance, but the beams had a crazy distance, and any of the ruins nearby were a flimsy defence at best, because they’d only last for one shot. His plans so far were: run as fast as he could, grab the ancient arrow from the ground, and duck around behind another abandoned guardian right before it shot. Or run as fast as he could, and stab it in the eye before it shot straight through him.</p>
<p>The target returned as the guardian gained its bearings, this time pointing at Honda’s forehead, the easier target while he stood. Shinobu had to think faster. He could deflect a guardians beam (probably, Shinobu’s eyes flickered down to his bandaged arm), and he could time a dodge (not perfectly, but probably better than anyone who hadn’t fought a guardian before), but it wasn’t targeting him anymore. Whatever plan he chose, it had to speed up tenfold. </p>
<p>Shinobu was good at battle plans, whether on the spot or premeditated. He was never sure why. It might’ve been natural, or something he practiced. He couldn’t remember. But he knew that he needed all the variables in a situation, and the pieces here weren’t fitting together at all. How could you kill something that wasn’t meant to survive in the first place? What if it’s blasts were different, and Shinobu messed up the timing of deflecting them? Would an ancient arrow even work still, if it wasn’t powered by malice? </p>
<p>His mind seemed to slow as soon as he needed it to go faster. </p>
<p>“Kouji-kun. I cannot create much light, but I have to assume that it is of the same power,” Honda crouched beside him, while Shinobu scrambled up to his knees, snapped out of his daze, “I’d like to try using it close-range. Please, cover for me.” </p>
<p>As an (ex?) knight, he should protest that. He definitely should. Shinobu pulled a normal arrow from his quiver, nodding at him decisively. The grateful look Honda gave in return pulled him in a thousand directions at once, but one part of him just hoped Honda knew that he was grateful too. </p>
<p>Shinobu sprinted to the left, finding an old guardian half-buried in the ground, one leg sprawled in the air. He grabbed onto the leg, pulling himself up on the top of it and crouching where he had a perfect line of sight. He wasn’t a bad shot, drawing an arrow and aiming for the eye, but truthfully, he preferred close combat and simple martial arts fighting. Shinobu could only hope he and Honda had some kind of… intrinsic teamwork, maybe. </p>
<p>They did not. </p>
<p>The target started to flash repeatedly on Honda’s head; Shinobu expected Honda to drop to the ground, letting an arrow loose just adjacent to him- Instead, Honda dodged to the left, only barely escaping. Shinobu winced, and while Honda turned back to give him an incredulous look, the guardian moved again, dragging itself closer. He quickly drew another arrow, this time hitting it straight in the eye right before it shot at Honda’s back, sparks flying around it. </p>
<p>(It was just about to fire two times with only a few seconds in between. Huh?! What happened to the cool off period?)</p>
<p>Honda clearly picked up on it too, dashing behind a different ruined guardian. Shinobu swiftly took another arrow, but it had a broken tip-- he looked away, throwing the arrow down the side and fumbling for another, missing Honda’s signal to fire. When he looked back up, Honda was running straight for the eye, just in time for it to recover its fire. Shinobu aimed, but he couldn’t fire while Honda was so close, mumbling under his breath and praying that Honda would get the hint and get out of the damn way.</p>
<p>It was getting more dangerous, so Shinobu… did the only thing he could think of. Which meant taking an arrow and firing at the ground in front of Honda, forcing him to stumble backwards. (Sorry, Honda-san). While he stumbled, Shinobu took the chance to fire again, but Honda’s temporary backstep didn’t give him a lot of room to aim. The arrow missed, hitting the guardian in its metal head, but not its weak-spot. </p>
<p>It worked nonetheless, causing the guardian to falter for long enough that Honda could bring the small orb of light back to his palm, smashing it straight into the eye alongside Shinobu’s multiple arrows. He held his breath waiting, every muscle tensed and ready to leap forward- but it wasn’t needed. The guardian dropped to the ground limply, remaining still, as if it had never moved to begin with. </p>
<p>Nearby, perched on a tree branch and out of sight, a squirrel began to violently twitch.</p>
<p>“I really cannot believe that worked.” Honda spoke loudly enough for Shinobu to hear, cautiously walking backward and fixing his image, righting his ponytail that had become loose and messy in the conflict. Shinobu hopped off his spot, returning the bow to his back, shaking his head to indicate he was equally as surprised. </p>
<p>Honda looked up at him as Shinobu approached, the edges of his lips quirking into a smile. “I suppose this is where one would typically give congratulations, and say that we made an excellent team, however…”  </p>
<p>“Needs work.” Shinobu left his palm on the back of his neck, finding himself relaxing into a hint of a smile while Honda bit back a laugh. </p>
<p>“That it does.”</p>
<p>The sun was already darkening on the horizon, at which point Shinobu was the one to gesture that they should keep moving. He took the lead without thinking much on it, only hesitating when Honda looked surprised. Oh. Did he do something wrong? This was why he didn’t like making decisions. Honda said nothing, schooling his expression once more and stepping in sync beside him.</p>
<p>“Kouji-kun, about something you said… The joke about dying, to awaken my powers,” Honda began, clearing his throat as he looked for a way to phrase what he wanted to ask, or say. </p>
<p>“Sorry.”</p>
<p>“No- Well, rather, yes, you do indeed owe both of us that. But that is not the point I intended to make. It implied you… remembered. How much, exactly, are you aware of?” </p>
<p>Shinobu tilted his head, thinking. Did Honda want him to recount every memory he had? Not that he couldn’t, it wasn’t a long list. He looked back at Honda, noticing something that burned in his green eyes, searching for an answer. </p>
<p>“Remember dying… and… a minute, or so, before n’ after,” Shinobu began. Not a minute after he was actually dead, but after he had collapsed, anyway. He was half-conscious, only somewhat processing what was happening around him, but a few things were important enough to stick out anyway. </p>
<p>“So you knew.” </p>
<p>Shinobu felt like he gave the wrong answer. Honda’s eyes went cold, shutting him out. He could only watch helplessly as Honda’s posture seemed to droop in exhaustion while they passed another stone bridge in disrepair, approaching a steep hill. Maybe they should’ve brought the horses after all. The… light, thing, probably took it out of Honda. (It didn’t explain his weird attitude about the memories, though.)</p>
<p>“… Sorry?” Shinobu tried to break the silence, unsure. Honda looked confused, so that probably wasn’t the right answer. Apologising fixed whatever they fought about before, though…</p>
<p>“I am not upset with you, Kouji-kun. You have done nothing wrong.” </p>
<p>Shinobu was back to square one. He could only take Honda’s words at face value, because he couldn’t handle trying to figure out whether Honda was actually upset with him, but just wasn’t ready to talk about it. Shinobu would take a major test of strength over trying to understand people any day. </p>
<p>Eventually they climbed the slope, and walked through the narrow valleys leading toward the town's entrance. The small trickle of water running down from the cliff and into small pools of water was the loudest noise, particularly as the darkness only grew. The time was probably why there weren't any travelers along the way, but the emptiness while they approached the wooden entrance structures still felt strange. Almost as strange as everything felt after Ganon was defeated. The world he’d only just come to know was changing again before his eyes, and goddess knows how, he’d ended up in the centre of it all.</p>
<p>“I imagine things are no longer where I once knew them to be, but I must assume you know where we can lodge for the night. Business is best conducted in a better state of mind. Also, your bandages are in need changing.” Honda addressed all the key points necessary in a succinct manner, nodding to himself, and somehow talking to Shinobu without really acknowledging him at all. They entered through a path lit by hanging lanterns and strips of decorated red paper, at a higher level that overlooked the town. Honda’s mood seemed to improve, walking slowly across a small wooden bridge surrounded by green fireflies that gave his eyes a glowing impression. </p>
<p>“It is remarkably different, yet, unmistakably Sheikah in style. I’ve always admired their architecture.” Somehow, the soft appreciation for things Shinobu had barely taken a second to consider, suited Honda well. The respect in his voice made Shinobu take a closer look at the traditional town, the rich wood and straw houses seemed to blend with the nature around it, the leaves of ancient trees swaying just barely above the ground. The closer he looked… The less he understood. They just looked like houses. </p>
<p>Shinobu didn’t have much to say, but quietly hummed to show he was listening, leading them down the small slope into the small open town area. The Shuteye Inn (a pun on the Sheikah’s symbol that Shinobu still found a little funny) was one of the first they passed, luckily allowing them to avoid any awkward interactions on the way. Though the clerk was asleep when they walked in, Shinobu shook his head and waved Honda toward the beds, of which there were a minimal number, and only a paper shoji screen for privacy. Tourism probably plummeted after the Calamity, with roads being unsafe to travel and all.</p>
<p>“Wake up, pay,” he explained. He’d stayed enough times to be friendly with the clerk, but just barely. Most of the time Shinobu opted to sleep in the forest, so it was really no wonder he ended up with the social skills he did. While Shinobu took off his boots, Honda insistently handed him a roll of fresh bandages. Somehow, he probably knew Shinobu had forgotten about that already, he had a scarily accurate memory for numbers but things regarding himself and care just… slipped his mind. (How close was he with Honda before, anyway?)</p>
<p>Shinobu slipped out of his shirt, starting to take the sticky bandages off his arm, while Honda stood uncomfortably at the edge of the shoji between their beds. He looked… hesitant, like a far bigger divide than a paper thin screen separated them, and maybe it did- he wouldn’t know. He couldn’t remember. </p>
<p>“Good night, Kouji-kun.” Honda offered instead, with a polite, but ultimately tired smile. Shinobu waved back, and watched his figure disappear behind the divider like the wisp of the words left unsaid.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>AGAIN i am also aware SOME of this is inaccurate (there's technically a path to Kakariko that doesn't go through the middle of the guardian field for example) but it was for plot reasons. Also, this is where the plot starts to divulge from canon botw, since we don't actually have the storyline of what happens after, and goes into my own ideas and theories based on the lore :3 !</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. From where you least expect it</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>By the early hours of morning, Shinobu was already gone. </p><p>He managed to get a good few hours, but it wasn’t long before he began to feel the creepings of the night crawling over his skin, every creak of the wooden bedframe starting to sound more like chains while the room closed in around him. Nightmares were fairly common for him. Shinobu woke up in cold sweats with a feeling of sickness and terror, but when he tried to place or remember why, he came up empty. Sometimes he almost caught it- rushing to try and write it down, but by the time he found an ink and pen, it was gone again, like chasing a high that outran him every time.</p><p>Regardless, that was why he quietly left when it was still dark, craving the outdoor air prickling his skin. He made a quick trip to the forest above Kakiriko, far enough away from the village that he could spar and train in peace. Even though a hero wasn’t really necessary anymore… Well, maybe it was because of that that he felt more restless than ever. At the first sign of light through the trees, he returned to the village, slowing down beside where the goddess statue was. At the very least, that seemed to be one thing that wasn’t changing. </p><p>There was a small, yet central pond, the clean water decorated with floating lily pads and torches with lit fires that surrounded a wooden pier. At the end, the old stone statue stood, silently overgrown with moss, a few fireflies still floating around from the night. Shinobu knelt before it, sighing. </p><p>“What am I supposed to do now?” He whispered under his breath in a rough, unused voice. It wasn’t like he expected to hear an answer, he never did. No matter how many times he approached her, bloody and beaten, asking for some kind of help, some kind of sign that he was doing this right. The goddess only ever silently watched. He didn’t necessarily resent being the hero, or resent her. Perhaps because he had never known life without it. It gave him access to a world that no one else understood; mystical dragons, wise speaking trees, and the entire continent at his fingertips. Shinobu felt at home among the wisetales parents would tell their children, but didn’t believe in. </p><p>But then, he supposed, that set him at a distance. Never sticking around for long, and never getting close enough to reach out to anyone, except for the only person who would never respond back. It was a cruel trick of fate.</p><p>At times when Shinobu would pray, the statues seemed to fill with life and an iridescent glow, almost mistakable as a hallucination. His connection to her strengthened, and he felt life and energy return to his own body, but the moment he tried to reach out and say something, she was gone again, and Shinobu returned to feeling like he was more hollow than the stone statue before him. Shinobu could never explain what caused it to happen, but prayed everyday he could in the hopes it would return. He wasn’t even sure why he wanted it to. Shinobu wanted answers- he wanted to know what the hell she expected of him, why she chose him, what she saw in him, and whether it was all a mistake. Shinobu never had to motivate himself, he never had to want or to yearn for anything. That was all decided for him. His purpose was goddess-given, literally.</p><p>So how was he supposed to just move on? He could go anywhere, but for the first time since he woke up in that cave years ago, he felt like everything had come to a stand-still.</p><p>Shinobu eventually gave up praying, sitting down and spacing out, watching the sunlight touch the statue and grow brighter. Behind him, he could hear the movements and rustling of the village awakening and the guards making their morning rounds. It was common enough for Shinobu to drop by, pray, grab something from a store and teleport out in a rush, so no one tried bothering him. No one until Honda, who walked down the pier and sat beside him and faced away from the statue. </p><p>“It would be greatly appreciated if you would leave a letter on the next occasion you disappear during the night.” Honda’s words were as professional as always, but were undermined by a small yawn. Shinobu leaned back on his hand, looking over to Honda, dressed in simple attire- the dressed down version of his casual, yet royal blue clothing. His blonde hair was out, lying straight above his shoulders, like he hadn’t properly dressed yet. He looked presentable, definitely, but rushed. </p><p>“I believed you had left, or perhaps, reconsidered our arrangement.” </p><p>Oh. Shinobu didn’t really carry much with him, and the few weapons or clothes that weren’t stored in the slate were easily replaceable and dispensable. There was nothing to stop him from taking off at any time, apart from not really wanting to, and not having much else to do. Still he… hadn’t realised what that would look like. Shinobu ducked his head, looking away in slight shame and apology. Honda exhaled, shaking his head. It was still early. He might be tired.</p><p>“You must be close with her, I suppose.” Honda added, without sparing an eye toward the statue. Shinobu shrugged on instinct, before he paused. He changed his mind, shaking his head. If there was anyone he could, anyone he should be open about this with, it was Honda. </p><p>“Just… want answers.” He mumbled, gesturing to himself sitting by the statue.</p><p>“Have you ever gotten them?” </p><p>Shinobu shook his head again. </p><p>“I suppose that makes two of us. She has been absent from the beginning. I cannot claim to know why, but after so much time has passed, I find it difficult to care. However, it is not my place to critique you. You have a stronger will than I.” </p><p>Shinobu absently nodded. A strong will is the last thing he’d call it. Honda had the strength to find the answers for himself, instead of waiting around for guidance, for someone to make the choices for him. Shinobu felt like the goddesses puppet, and the worst part was that he wasn’t sure he hated it. The two sat in silence for a few moments longer. Honda pulled himself together faster, standing up and lightly stretching his arms above his head. </p><p>“I have discussed certain details with the inn keep. The elder is alive and well, thankfully, but recently has become unfit to handle many of her responsibilities. While she is still consulted on significant manners, the town is led by a young Sheikah in her place. It appears to have been a… controversial, decision.” Honda explained to him simply, looking toward the largest house behind them. A steep set of wooden stairs lead up toward it, the ground level surrounded by a pond with beautiful fish native to only Kakariko and the architecture particularly grand. </p><p>Shinobu tilted his head in curiosity as Honda mentioned the new head, standing up and following Honda’s line of sight to the house. The elder didn’t have any children, as far as he knew. She was one of the first people he properly met, explaining to him the history of the Calamity as someone who was alive during it, and she was in charge whenever he returned here. It must have been really recent… A part of him realised, the elder might have been holding out for him to finish what he started, while he still could have needed her. He made a mental note to thank her, once he got a chance. </p><p>“She should be in now, so for now, I will prepare to meet her. If you would like to come, please dress appropriately.”</p><p>Shinobu nodded, but ultimately, it was unlikely to be someone he didn’t know, and everyone in the village was well aware of his… strange circumstances. He settled on the hero's tunic, changing much quicker than Honda once back inside the inn. Shinobu wasn’t sure how it came to be, but most people expected him to solve their problems, and he quickly learnt to accept it. While Honda changed, he left to ask around about the young Sheikah. </p><p>Shinobu approached those he knew, getting straight to the point and pointing at the elder’s house. Most instantly caught on. The responses were… mixed, but oddly enough, none mentioned who it was. He figured the comments would be more personal, since the Sheikah’s population almost entirely lived in this town.</p><p>“The new head? Uhm, don’t tell my husband, but I kind of like her…”</p><p>“A total con-woman!”</p><p>“I haven’t really met her properly, but I trust the elders' judgement!”</p><p>“She’s only a kid, there ain’t no way she’s prepared for this.”</p><p>“This town is so stuck in their old ways, maybe a young face is what we need?” </p><p>He eventually circled back around outside the inn after collecting some information for himself, waiting until Honda walked down the stairs. His eyes were sharper, though in a way, distracted. Honda took a deep breath, looking at Shinobu and politely nodding toward him.</p><p>“Thank you for choosing to accompany me. This will be my first negotiation, as King. It would greatly help my efforts if it were to be successful.” </p><p>Shinobu gave him a thumbs up as encouragement, which at least seemed to stifle something of a laugh out of Honda. The two guards easily moved aside to let them pass through the traditional arched gate that led to the wooden stairs, patterned lanterns and small blossoming trees on either side. </p><p>“Ah, were we expected?” Honda asked the guards, regally clasping his hands in front of him.</p><p>“Huh? No, it’s just always good to see Shinobu-san around. Our little town owes him a hell of a lot. Elder made sure he was always welcome here.” The guard grinned up at Shinobu, who merely waved his hands in front of him to brush it off, saying that they owed him nothing. </p><p>“I see.”</p><p>The two of them were led up to the main house, the same guard opening the two heavy doors to let them inside. The centre at the back, where the elder would once sit on a pile of stacked pillows on a slightly raised platform, was empty. Behind it was an old, fading map of Hyrule, still including Honda’s kingdom, meaning it must have been produced from before the Calamity. As if the elder, or current lead, expected it to return that way. Honda smiled at it. On each side of the platform there were staircases, leading to a loft above. From the loft area there was a sudden, loud clang of metal, and a following high-pitched screech like chalk on a blackboard. Honda and Shinobu went to cover their ears, wincing. </p><p>“Sorry about that! Be right down-” A female voice trilled calmly from above, while Honda and Shinobu shared an equally lost look. Swinging around from the stairs, Aika Hoshino hopped down, wearing a traditional Sheikah outfit pulled up at the sleeves, her white hair naturally falling down to her hips. Despite how the outfit was meant to be worn, she seemed to have adjusted it to be form fitting, showing off her long, slender legs and torso.</p><p>Shinobu met her in Akkala, where she had her own ancient technology laboratory, the only specialist he knew existed. While most Sheikah shied away from the high-powered technology and focused on leading simple, modest lives, Hoshino thrived in it. She helped upgrade the slate, and even built him weapons or armour out of ancient technology in exchange for guardian parts (and a fairly hefty fee, including making him run dangerous errands on her behalf). </p><p>“HONDA-KUN?!” Hoshino yelled through a wide smile, gasping audibly and practically throwing herself down the stairs, hugging him around the neck. “You’re alive!”</p><p>“Hoshino-san… how is that possible…? You look… young?!” Honda responded, raising his voice incredulously, while Shinobu stepped away awkwardly. While they had a moment, he went to read through the anonymous journal of town worries for any new entries. Most of them ended up being about Hoshino as the new head, as it turns out. It was a little surprising, even for him, that no one from the village was chosen. </p><p>“Oh you do know how to flatter a girl,” Hoshino joked, stepping back and winking. “Really, it’s just a good skincare routine, the Gerudo make the most incredible lotions-” </p><p>“How could you possibly still be alive and this young?” Honda interrupted, stressing his point in every syllable and gritting his teeth at her answers.</p><p>“Oh, you mean, the whole, it’s been a hundred years and I still look 19, thing?” </p><p>“Hoshino-san, please, what else could I possibly be referring to?”</p><p>“My stunning complexion?” Honda shot her a frustrated look, causing her to surrender, putting her hands in the air. “Alright, alright. An experiment went wrong and I may have become immortal? Honestly, I ain’t totally sure, it wasn’t like I meant to do it, and I don’t really remember exactly how I did it. But hey, whatever, these things happen.”</p><p>Honda made a noise of indignation, and even Shinobu’s pointed ears pricked up in surprise, her answer somehow raising more questions than before. (Actually… the whole immortal explanation, explained a few things that were never quite normal about her. Shinobu had no rights to judge that, though.)</p><p>“You are unbelievable… Truly.” Honda ran a hand through his hair, attempting to release the stress built up in his body. “And, by some chance, would you happen to be the young Sheikah now leading the tribe?” </p><p>“Indeed, your royal highness,” Hoshino’s embellished tone indicated sarcasm, a purr to the edge of her voice as she said it. “Or, it’d be majesty now, hey?” </p><p>“I would like it to be.”</p><p>Hoshino hummed in interest, putting her hands behind her back and leaning forward, as if analysing him. “Then, wanna get the boring political shit out of the way first?” </p><p>Honda nodded to her, turning to Shinobu, “Thank you for accompanying me, but you are not obligated to-”</p><p>“Ah! Actually, I’d like him to be present, you can consider it part of the negotiation conditions.” Shinobu blinked in confusion, looking helplessly between the two of them. “I’ll explain later, hero boy,” she waved him off, gesturing for them to take a seat, and moving to sit in the leaders position. It was only raised enough to establish dominance, but still low enough that it wasn’t quite a throne, and had a feeling of equality with those on the ground. Shinobu mirrored wherever Honda went, the two of them kneeling respectfully in front of her. Hoshino hummed in a way that said it was greatly pleasing to have Honda kneel before her for a change.</p><p>“In case it is of relevance, Kouji-kun has lost his memories,” Honda pointed out, gesturing to him. Shinobu just stared at the ground, uncomfortably shifting, just barely catching an apologetic look from the other. </p><p>“Oh, I’m aware, no stress. I knew when he didn’t recognise me.” </p><p>Shinobu, on the other hand, had no idea that she knew who he was the entire time. That was… a strange reality to grapple with. Hoshino had a habit of dropping shocking information without elaborating. How well did he know her in the past? If she knew he was the hero, why didn’t she ever say anything when he lied?</p><p>“It’s good practice to have a witness, though that isn’t the only reason I invited him,” Hoshino continued, while Honda lightly paled, having not thought about that. “Hey, hey! Relax man, it’s been a good hundred years, give yourself a break. It’s just us here.”</p><p>Honda cleared his throat, eager to move on. He was the first to lay out his starting offer; a request for the aid of the Sheikah’s technology in rebuilding Hyrule. Shinobu curiously listened. These kinds of negotiations felt familiar, but different. Probably because while Shinobu might have gotten to listen in on politics 100 years ago, it was never Honda in the position of debating. All things considered, he was doing well- or at least, Shinobu thought so. He was impressed by those that could hold regular conversations, so his standards weren’t all that high. </p><p>Hoshino quickly countered that the request for technology was nonspecific, and that only certain kinds of equipment could be lended. Weapons were completely off the table (in official negotiations, at least. Private commissioning was a different matter, as she hinted that Shinobu would know), but she would consider construction or communication tools. There was a reason the Sheikah lived humbly, with their powerful weapons carefully hidden away, and Hoshino wasn’t in a position to change their minds yet. Regardless, if Honda wanted the aid of technology to fast-track their progress, Hoshino would have to personally develop the tools, since no one currently alive had the expertise she did. Therefore mass production wasn’t possible, and she couldn’t guarantee the date they would be safe to use by. </p><p>Honda agreed quickly to those terms, proposing that a communication system would be the most beneficial. The castle grounds are vast, and if there was a means of delivering instructions throughout it efficiently without travelling to each area it would save a significant amount of time. The other technology he was interested in was storage, something similar to the Sheikah slate that could hold resources and transport them in a portable device. Particularly since they would need to loan or buy a seriously large number of resources from all across the continent. Just thinking about it gave even Shinobu a headache. He was lucky to just be a knight. Or… was, anyway. (What was he now, anyway? A random tagalong vigilante?)</p><p>“Honestly? I never worked that part out. I mean, all of the technology is a total mystery, but that’s the one thing that’s always stumped me, along with teleportation. They’re similar mechanisms, but so far, it isn’t anything I’ve been able to replicate. I’ll look into it, anyway.” </p><p>They agreed that prices couldn’t be defined until Hoshino started to lay out design plans, though Honda did provide her with the dimensions of the castle for communication. The largest range that it could extend was preferable, but Shinobu guessed Honda didn’t want to push his luck. His next request was a team of skilled Sheikah to work temporarily as advisers, while Hyrule got back on its feet. They would represent the support of Kakariko to the other races, and also had knowledge that was invaluable to the royal family in the past. </p><p>Hoshino agreed to find 5, after a long moment of thought, suggesting it was a difficult decision. Judging by Honda’s sigh, it was… probably less than he hoped, but, well. Kakariko village was pretty small, especially since so many split off to the Yiga clan. They didn’t have a lot of people to give in the first place, let alone those willing to go, which would be an even smaller pool. The population of Hyrule in general depleted rapidly from the Calamity, and because of the now unsafe environment, not many had kids. It was stuck at a stand-still, and never grew back. </p><p>Next, a regular supply of Kakariko’s food produce when operations to rebuild Hyrule Castle began. He clarified it wouldn’t be their only source, and that he hoped to also have farmers and hunters as a part of the team, but it was a long way to anywhere that was fertile or had enough wildlife to hunt. They went through the specifics of which food and how much, though ultimately, it was too hard to call anything while Honda still didn’t have much information. They agreed to discuss it later, and that it could be done on a 5 month contract, to be renewed when the terms of their deal were upheld and construction would continue for another 5 months. </p><p>Now, it was Hoshino’s turn for demands. </p><p>Unfortunately for Honda, he lacked anything to trade outside of land. Hyrule had enough that it could afford to lose some, but Kakariko wouldn’t benefit from land. They were a small, self-sufficient population, with no interest in expanding. </p><p>Hoshino firstly wanted a commission pay for designing the technology Honda was interested in, that would be personal, a one-time pay, and unrelated to the negotiations on behalf of the village. Though, she mentioned that because he was a good friend, she would allow him to pay her back once his kingdom was back in order, as an IOU of sorts. Next, permission to borrow the slate for an extended period of time, so she could research for the storage and transportation technology. Honda quickly shut that down, because they were too vulnerable as it was even with the slate. He was pressed for time and couldn’t extend his stay for it, so the idea of storage technology was discarded.</p><p>The production of the technology, not the designing, she wouldn’t request pay. It would be a sign of good-will on Kakariko’s behalf, though if Shinobu knew anything, she was definitely expecting to get something out of it in the long run. However, she would need the parts to craft them, and couldn’t retrieve them herself while she was the acting head. At this point, she pointedly turned to Shinobu with a friendly yet political smile that made him shrink into himself. Intimidating.</p><p>“Uhm… yeah, I can do that…” He mumbled, a strange feeling bubbling in his stomach from the transition from merely observing, to actually being involved in the weird game of politics and negotiations.  </p><p>“Are you quite sure you are alright with this? You spent much of your life fighting, Kouji-kun. I would never ask that you return yourself to danger were you not interested,” Honda asked him in a quiet whisper, though with only three of them in the room, it was rather pointless. Shinobu easily shrugged, it wasn’t something he really minded doing, especially if it would help Honda. Though the prince looked like he wanted to argue, or push to be sure, it wasn’t the time or place. “Alright. That is much appreciated, then.” </p><p>Then, the Kakariko team. </p><p>Hoshino took a deep breath, and made her non-negotiable demand; The current relationship between the royal family and the Sheikah, including the oath of allegiance the Sheikah swore, would be dissolved in its entirety. She let the statement sink in, before she continued. The advisory team would be offered permanent positions on a council, and granted the legal right to challenge or veto a King’s decision. However, they would represent themselves and the council, not their race; the tribe itself would be given full automation and independence from Hyrule. </p><p>The mere existence of the Yiga proved that a faction were dissatisfied with serving the royal family, though Honda looked instantly defensive at their mention. </p><p>“I do not blame your family for their actions, and I fully believe no one here sympathises with those that would use our technology for evil and harm,” Hoshino clarified, her words having a strange clarity and formality, as if she had given this deep thought. It was a rather large ask, but she made it clear she wasn’t budging. “It didn’t personally bother me, but I knew the people it did. The people will not swear to you this time around, Honda-kun.”</p><p>Honda countered that it was dangerous to work with a team that could not swear allegiance to him, and Hoshino agreed. She suggested the advisory team of 5 take a seperate oath to uphold, one they could personally overlook beforehand and approve of (or suggest edits for). In return, Honda would swear to uphold his role toward them, a gesture of equal status. The Sheikah would be relieved of their oath should he fail to do so.</p><p>“I agree to your terms, and I will work beyond them to strive for a better relationship with the Sheikah. However, I do not know how to prove my word is honest, I am not in a position to dissolve anything while I still lack a throne. I fear that all that will come from these negotiations are empty promises.”</p><p>“I trust you. Problem is, the people don’t at the moment. Which, actually, brings me to my next demand!” Hoshino clapped her hands together, grinning as her eyes shifted back toward Shinobu on cue. A shiver of dread ran down his spine. Damnit. Why was the conversation coming back to him?</p><p>“I can’t get the people to trust your word, because they don’t trust me. Yet. This is a bit of an under the table offer, but Shinobu-san, I honestly believe that if I have you on my side, people will be more open to listen to what I have to say. They like you! And all your endearing awkward gestures,” Shinobu, in the process of trying to tug on his hair, quickly dropped his hand in embarrassment. “I am slowly working on my image here, but I haven’t had time to do much. They’re too fixed in the idea that I’m young, and that I didn’t live here. But they might just listen to you.”</p><p>The only problem was that there wasn’t much to listen to- he barely spoke. Were they really resting a political decision in the hands of the social skills Shinobu had? That was a bad idea. A really bad idea. </p><p>“That isn’t something quantitatively measurable, and may not be possible at all,” Honda interjected, the voice of reason. </p><p>“All I ask is that he tries, and I trust that he will. The guy’s too damn honest, bless him, it’s really only a matter of time before he’s scammed. He’s lucky I’m known for my reliable business policies.” Shinobu blinked as she began to discuss him as if he wasn’t in the room, but didn’t really have much of an argument against it. He shrugged in agreement. If he only had to try, he didn’t have much to lose. His dignity left a long, long time ago.</p><p>“In the meantime, I’ll do what I can to work on those designs, and have these outcomes approved. Frankly, you picked a pretty bad time for it, but hey? What’s all this confidence for if I can’t win everyone over against all odds?” Hoshino shifted her position on the pillows, putting one knee over the other with a confident lilt to her calm voice. Honda snorted quietly, but from what Shinobu knew of her, it was actually… kinda true. “Oh, and as for the food, no worries, easily arranged. The long-term benefits for Kakariko if you’re returned to the throne massively outweigh that cost, like returned tourism and trade once roads are safe to travel. Plus, we’re only in small numbers, having the defense of a kingdom as large as Hyrule was is invaluable.”</p><p>“Are you… quite sure that is enough to satisfy the Sheikah? You are taking quite a significant gamble on this.” </p><p>“Gotta feel alive somehow, huh?” Hoshino joked, grinning at him.</p><p>“Take this seriously, Hoshino-san.” </p><p>“This friendship only has room for one of us to be the boring one, and I’m afraid the position is filled. Nah, but, what I mean is, I think you can get away with asking for less, ‘cause if you’re with him,” she jerked her thumb toward Shinobu, (not again, damnit. Why was it always him?) “then it’s not a favour, they’re repaying a debt.” </p><p>“Ah, for the divine beasts?” Honda commented, turning to him. Should Shinobu remind them he was sitting there? Or would that just draw more attention? </p><p>“Sure, that too. But hell, talk to anyone in this village, they all have a story. One of the guards was confessing that he worked undercover for the Yiga in the past, ‘cause I was gonna reopen an old investigation. Anyway, you’ll never guess who saved his life when he tried to defect, and cut his ties with the Yiga completely?”</p><p>Shinobu… didn’t realise that guard told anyone about that. It wasn’t that big of a deal, just a soldier. </p><p>“And also who defeated their leader and stormed their hideout- twice! Absolute mad-man. Gotta admire that dedication though.” </p><p>He choked on air for a second. That was-</p><p>“Don’t ask how I knew that part. My sources are anonymous.” </p><p>… What the hell?</p><p>“Point taken,” Honda resigned, agreeing to the terms. “For now, I have no more requests. I sincerely hope to build a positive relationship in alliance with the Sheikah, moving forwards,” Honda bowed respectfully, Hoshino doing the same. Shinobu awkwardly did too, a second too late, unsure of what he should be doing. </p><p>“Indeed! And, Honda-kun, don’t mistake my generous offers for kindness.” Hoshino finished, clapping her hands together with a devious glint in her eyes. Honda scoffed, as if to say he would never. Shinobu… had kind of thought it was, since she knew him before. This was Hoshino, though. She probably had some kind of bigger plan at play. </p><p>“Alright! Boring stuff out of the way!” She sprung up from the chair, “We-” she pointed at Honda accusingly, “are catching up. Shinobu-san, you can go work your awkward charms on the people. Or take a nap, you look like you need it.”</p><p>Shinobu took the break, standing up and leaving without a word. There were probably some long-overdue catch ups of his own to get to. There was only so long he could avoid it, he supposed. Talking to others, talking about himself. Hoshino had said the people of the village were indebted to him, but it felt the other way around. They were patient with him, even when he would flinch away at their touch, or run out of money half-way through a transaction. </p><p>When he got down the steps, he was immediately ambushed by two of the village's kids, one latching onto his leg and begging him to play a game with her because all the other adults were too busy, and the other excitedly waving, telling him she finally perfected that recipe from last time (but she WOULD need ingredients from him… again…). Shinobu crouched down to their level, almost instantly feeling the tension leaving his tired bones.</p><p>“Hide ‘n seek first? Then we can eat together after?” He suggested in a whisper, the two kids giggling in agreement. It was… easier, to speak with kids, than it was with adults. He was never really sure why. But it made them feel special, like they were in on some secret, and Shinobu didn’t have it in him to dispute that.</p><p>Hoshino leant against the doorframe, watching him with a discreet analytical eye, the cogs in her head spinning right into place. </p><p>“Well? Do you plan to enlighten me?” Honda asked, already picking up her scheming facial expressions that she didn’t bother to hide around him, not anymore. </p><p>“Shinobu-san is good with children. Heard of the saying ‘it takes a village to raise a child’? They’re one of the quickest ways to get to the adults. But I have a pretty good feeling if I tell him that, he’ll totally blow it, it’s gotta be natural.” Hoshino watched Shinobu, rolling his eyes lightly before covering them with his hands, the two kids running off to hide. “See? I totally got this leader thing down-pat.”</p><p>Hoshino gestured for Honda to follow her outside, leading him around the small outside platform that ran around the house. At the back of the house, over a small stretch of water, there were multiple waterfalls flowing down, creating an ambient background noise and cooling the air. The house’s large back provided the area with privacy, the noise too, obscuring their voices. Hoshino leant down against the wooden railing, turning to him with a cheeky smile. </p><p>“So? How’s it been hanging these past hundred years?” </p><p>With a reluctant, irritated sigh, Honda walked to stand beside her. How did he end up befriending her, in the first place? It must have been her undeniable persistence. She had connections and a natural way with people that even the greatest politicians couldn’t rival. Yet, despite being at the most advantageous position, Hoshino never tried to charm Honda as a prince- if anything, she went out of her way to get on his nerves.</p><p>In some ways, he respected that. Honda knew she was more intelligent than anyone gave her credit for, with her care-free and joking attitude, crafted so that she wouldn’t appear a threat. At other times, her attitude was insufferable, and he fantasized of strangling her with his bare hands.</p><p>“I could ask the same of you,” he carefully deflected. “Do I want to hear the reasoning behind your appointment as leader? Please keep in mind, I would like plausible deniability should it involve dubiously legal activities.”</p><p>“You wound me, Honda-kun! I did not!” She shook her head in disappointment. “I like, didn’t even ask for it. The old lady just… picked me, guess ‘cause I’m the second oldest? Plus, I think if she picked anyone from the village, there’d just be a riot, ya’know? Like, jealous siblings, affairs start coming to light from wronged lovers, petty squabbles split the village in two, all that. At least I’m impartial. The chaos option seemed funnier, though.”</p><p>“Surprisingly sound reasoning.” </p><p>“Hey, don’t look at me, my guess is as good as yours. She ain’t really in a state to explain herself, at least recently. Maybe she just thought it’d be entertaining to see people scrambling to justify her choices.”</p><p>“Then I must ask… Is this truly where you would like to be? Were you willing?”</p><p>“Were you?” </p><p>Hoshino shot back without missing a beat, and Honda didn’t have an answer. She huffed in satisfaction, turning back to the waterfalls, leaning over and idly watching the fish swim below. </p><p>“Course I was. You know I don’t do things for the sake of others. I guess I got bored? Engineering, technology, that stuff’ll always be my passion. But I actually really enjoy the business side too, working with customers, making connections… Not that business was booming with that active guardian living by my lab.” </p><p>“Pardon me, but the what-?” </p><p>“I mean, awesome endless supply of parts whenever Shinobu-san came by and knocked it out for me, but annoying as hell, right? Anyway, I thought I’d give this political thing a shot. If this is a challenge she thinks I’ll back down from, I’ll tell her to stick it. Ain’t nothing I can’t do when I put my mind to it.” Hoshino groaned, lying her body over the side of the railing, “It’s a hell of a lot of work though. You won’t believe what one of those brats told me the other day, I don’t hate kids, I really don’t, but that one needs to be put on a damn leash, he was all like…” </p><p>The two talked most of the afternoon, Hoshino sharing stories of the people she’d met over the years, as well as filling him in on how the different towns and tribes had changed. Honda continued to deflect questions about the 100 years he spent sealing Ganon, or how he felt about Shinobu losing his memories, merely stating that Shinobu is the one between them suffering for it, and she should save her concern for him. Upon hearing some excited shouting, the two of them shifted around the corner to observe. </p><p>“That’s him! That’s Bobby! Thank you, Kouji-san!” A little boy cheered down in the town area, Shinobu crouched near the edge of a cliff nearby beside the glowing blue shrine, holding up a chicken with a questioning face. Honda instinctively stepped forward with a start, watching in horror as Shinobu nodded, and hopped off the cliff as if he were jumping down one step. His heart leapt into his throat, muddling his thoughts as… somehow… they glided down to the ground? </p><p>Did he just use a chicken as a parachute? And did it actually just work?</p><p>On the ground, Shinobu handed the chicken back to the boy, who paraded it around happily, unfazed by the display. The hero of the ages, chosen by the goddess herself… was a pushover. A glorified babysitter that defied physics like it was nothing, and goddess, it shouldn’t be as endearing as it was, it shouldn’t. </p><p>Shinobu noticed them, giving a small wave from the ground with his ever-blank expression.</p><p>“Is that… a feat the common man is capable of?”</p><p>“Who knows? No one else is dumb enough to try,” Hoshino responded with a snicker of amusement, already moving down the stairs to meet with Shinobu, looking over her shoulder to ask, “you ever heard of the term moronsexual?”</p><p>“Silence.”</p><p>For all the times he wanted to rip out his hair around her, there was something to be said about a lighter chest, or a weight off his shoulders, after talking to her. There weren't many others who had to handle a sudden leadership position, atop of navigating the consequences of being technically over 100 yet barely adults, left only with remnants of those they had to leave behind. For all the times Honda pushed those around him away, there was something to be said about having a friend that remembered, that knew, when nothing else seemed to make sense.</p><p>In a series of gestures and the odd word or two, Shinobu explained that he wanted to discuss the strange behaviour of the guardian and the shrine with her. Though she wasn’t an expert on the shrines, having never been allowed inside one, she was their best hope at a theory. The three headed up to the Kakariko shrine, Hoshino taking twice as long as she stopped every second to say hello, compliment a person’s clothing choice, or let them know she was getting around to their inquiry, calling each by their name and dropping in the odd personal fact or story about them. It was clever, and the results were clear as day already. </p><p>Shinobu watched her interacting with admiration. He had a perfect memory for the exact opposite things she did. He barely needed a moment to recall exactly how many arrows the arrow shop sold regularly, the number of people in the village and the number of guards patrolling at each time of the day, but he could barely remember their names- Shinobu only got away with it because he didn’t talk enough for anyone to notice.</p><p>They reached the top of the hill overlooking the village, Honda began by taking the slate off his belt and handing it to her. Completely seriously, he explained what Shinobu assumed was the reason he spent so long working with it earlier; “I have reason to believe it is malfunctioning, or that it has been tampered with.”</p><p>“If someone…” Shinobu was worried, in his own strange form of expressing it. </p><p>“Correct, Kouji-kun,” Honda easily continued where he left off, “If the slate was tampered with without our knowledge, who is to say they cannot mirror this on a larger scale?</p><p>… We may be facing an incredibly serious threat.”</p>
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